Soul Redemption
by cardboredbox
Summary: AU. General Gault succeeds in destroying the Space Ring...sending the Earth into a nuclear winter. The Space Knights lose something precious... Major revisions, and new chapters. Concrit. is always appreciated! 3/11- I am repairing the format issues.
1. Prologue

Author's Note (A/N): I don't own Tekkaman Blade or Teknoman or whatever. I just borrow Tatsunoko's idea's. This story was originally written 9/2001 and is now in its 3rd revision. It has yet to be finished. But there is a lot of new stuff since the last you all read. I love you, Dear Readers! Also, I apologize for the lack of indentation. fanfiction dot net's editor won't allow it and overrides any attempt to tab.

**Soul Redemption**

PROLOGUE

Bonnie's shoes squished in the soggy earth as she took a step forward. Outstretching her arms into the pouring rain, a flash of lightning and crack of thunder tore open the sky; her ruddy eyes were pleading.  
"Please, Cain. Come home," her voice was firm, despite the fact that she was staring down a Tekkaman 3'0 taller than her. She knew that inside the hundreds of pounds of metal there was a man, begging salvation from the alien parasite. There had to be—she refused to believe that her once beloved boyfriend had gone over to the enemy willingly.  
He remained silent and tightened his grip on his lance as the cold and heavy raindrops spattered on his armor.  
She took another bold step forward and watched him through the thick curtain of her hunter green hair that had plastered itself onto her face. "Whatever it is, I…I can help you."

"BONNIE! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"  
"Bonnie, get out of there!"  
"HE'LL KILL YOU! GO!"

The voices of her two comrades, Ringo and Aki, drowned in a roar of thunder.

The black and red tekkaman offered his hand. "I am not ailing, Bonnie. I have merely seen the truth. Come with me and together we can cleanse our home of this ignorance and fight for a better tomorrow."  
Her eyes stung and welled with tears. "You're wrong! You're not one of them! You're a human being," she put a hand on her chest and made claws at her heart, "just like me and your brother!"  
His posture relaxed. "Cain was the name of a human I discarded long ago." Giving a nod of his head, he continued, "I was created for this purpose. There is nothing you can do but to come with me."

With a trembling lip, Bonnie gave a good look about her surroundings. She was on a grassy cliff overlooking the raging sea several feet below; the Blue Earth flew over her head as lightning flashed across Tekkaman Saber's silhouette.  
"When you disappeared in space I thought my life had ended…" Her breath fogged her vision as she muttered quietly to herself.  
The man she loved was within arm's length. She'd missed him terribly, thought he was dead; he had been her everything since they were kids. She could go back with him and they could be happy, just like before.  
But she'd lose her humanity in exchange.  
She'd be an accomplice to the Earth's destruction—she'd have the blood of her friends dripping from her fingertips.

"_Bonnie! Run, dammit! RUN!_"

There was no way she could do that, not even for the chance to be happy. Her best friend in the entire world lived on this planet and nothing could come between them; Bonnie loved her more than anyone else. Andrea Summers had been there for her always, even when Cain had not. They were joined at the hip and nothing, not even the risk of losing Cain forever, would take their friendship away. She'd live in Hell for all eternity before she'd hurt any of her friends, let alone Andrea.

"_Bonnie!_"

Bonnie grit her teeth and threw her arm out in a wild gesture; the cold and her heightened emotions gave her goosebumps. "Never! I'm human—just like you—and belong here, on Earth."  
Saber tossed his head back into his shoulders and chuckled.  
"I can help you. Please, let me help you," she implored, shivering lightly. Her short-sleeved shirt and black cargo pants were sticking to her like a second skin. Extending her hand to him, she waited. Was she reaching him at all?

The armor's eyes flashed blood red. "Omega ordered me to destroy you on the spot. I don't want to kill you, Bonnie. Come with me and I'll spare your life."  
She took a step back, stumbling a little as her foot slid in the mud. "No, I won't!" A sinking feeling welled in the pit of her stomach then; it was a feeling that told her she was in imminent danger.

A frigid wind whipped between them and he readied his lance while slowly making his advance. "You've forgotten me, haven't you," Saber's question came out more like a statement. He walked forward, one foot in front of the other, his voice no more than a growl. "All our time together means nothing now, does it."  
She backed away, tensing while adamantly shaking her head. "How can you say that," she cried, "I wouldn't be here otherwise!"

_ "Run you stupid bitch! THE BASTARD'S GOING TO KILL YOU! Look at what he did to his own brother!_"

Closer.

"You smell of another!" he barked back.

"_That's it! I'm goin' down!_"

Closer still. Bonnie stood in shock. What on earth did he mean? She wasn't seeing anyone else…

"_Ringo, no! She's too close! We'll kill her if we fly that low!_"

Her comrades soared above her head; the turbulence sent dirt and small blades of grass flying into the air and onto her face. It was then that revelation struck her.

Ringo.

She smelled like Ringo because she was wearing a shirt of his. He'd been cleaning out his closet and found it—it was his lucky shirt and had kept it since he was six. Obviously it didn't fit him anymore, and he figured she could get some mileage out of it, so…  
Bonnie put her hands up in defense. "Cain, no, it's not what you think at all!"  
But it was too late. The lance was forward and through her midriff before she could blink. The blade had gone clean through her back and cut so easily, like a hot knife through butter. Her shrill cry of agony split her own ears.  
"As soon as I left there was another to take my place!" He lifted her high into the air and she watched her blood as it trickled down his lance with the rainwater.  
"N-no…I…" She gasped and choked on the blood rising in her throat. "Cain…" She reached down and touched the cold metal of his helmet and knit her brows. "Don't let the aliens cloud your judgment. I love you…"  
He chuckled, ignoring her last comment. "No matter. You wouldn't have made a decent tekkaman anyway."  
"But I…"  
"Don't waste your time," he spat. "I will never love you. Never. You and I are two completely different beings—it just wouldn't be right."  
He flung her out to sea as she howled in agony. The moment she hit the water, she drowned…

...

A/N: I have pulled names from both the Japanese and English release intentionally. There are just some names that I like better than what I grew up with.


	2. Chapter One: Set the Stage

CHAPTER ONE: Set the Stage

(Seven months later…)

Cain rolled over in bed and opened his eyes. He sat up, stretched and yawned while taking in his surroundings for the first time that morning.  
His old room…

Golden sunlight poured in from his curtains and left a dusty glowing patch across the vacant hardwood floor. The only thing in the room was his bed; it was nestled against a corner and the vast emptiness seemed to swallow it whole. He pulled back his covers and slowly got out of bed, stumbling over to the bathroom; a hand made contact with the cold metal handle of the faucet and he turned on the water to the shower. Sleepily, he rubbed his eyes and shed his clothing into a pile on the floor before stepping inside where hot, stinging needles of comfort greeted him.

Cain smiled softly to himself. Today was a new day…a time to start things over and try again. He may have failed the first time around—but now, things were different. There was still hope in his mind. Hope to bring ruin to his enemy. Last night he pondered over how to do so…today brought the answers he had sought for so long.

Cain cleansed his previous troubles from his body with a bar of soap and watched them go down the drain. Snickering, he reached for the shampoo, his current plans for the day replaying in his head. His strategist's mind planned and counter planned until all other options except victory were depleted.

This would work.  
It had to work.

A deep chuckle roused within his throat, as now he could taste his enemy's suffering and demise; today was going to be a good day, he decided.

* * *

"Come on, Bunny, it's time to get up."  
Bonnie Carter rolled over, away from the sound of the voice and pulled the blanket up over her head. "Mn," she replied.  
"Bonnie," the voice relayed a little more seriously, "come on. It's 7:30. Time for breakfast."  
She squeezed her eyes shut tight when she felt a weight sink beside her into the mattress. "Buuuuuun~nnnnyyyy," a hand took hold of her shoulder; she jostled a little against her free will. "Wake uuuuup."  
"Ringo!" Bonnie finally cried while twisting around to look at him; she flailed an arm out and whacked him in the face by mistake. "No, I wanna sleep. Lemme alone!"  
The blonde man rubbed the side of his jaw while shaking his head. "You have to eat something first."  
She tossed her head from side to side and loosely curled back up beneath the blankets. "No."  
Ringo nodded the contrary. "Yes."  
"But I don't want to…"  
He narrowed his blue eyes and gave her a stern look. "Don't argue with me—you're gonna eat even if that means I have to tie you up and force-feed you!"

Bonnie pulled her quilted Halloween pumpkins and cats back over her head. "It hurts too much, Ringo. Leave me alone. I don't want to eat anymore of that nasty blended crap…"  
She could feel him staring a hole through her blankets and directly at her back. "If you don't eat, then the doctor says you'll keep getting sick and you'll never regain your strength; your stomach will shrink and you'll die of starvation."  
"I don't care." Bonnie grumbled.  
"Which in turn means that you'll never be able to pilot again, resulting in Commander Jamison discharging you from the Space Knights."

"Go awaaay…" Bonnie whined. "Leave me alone…"  
"What about chocolate? Maybe I could con the doctor into letting you have some of that for breakfast." He bargained.  
"Nooooo…Ringo, go away."  
"Bunny, please? For me?"  
"Hey, how can I be discharged from the Space Knights, if I'm already dead?" Bonnie answered.  
"I'll do anything…please?"

Silence was the only answer he was given.

Ringo groaned in frustration and yanked away her blankets. "Bonnie!" He growled. "Get up now!"  
"Nooo." Bonnie replied in a whine. She tried to draw her knees up to her chest, but it just hurt too much. Her diaphragm was still sore from her injuries and coughing fits.  
"No, I won't go! You can't make me!" She cried as he leaned over to grab her. She fought with him as best she could, clawing at his wrists and pushing his hands away. She would've used her legs but it still hurt. Although her stitches had been removed long ago, her insides still felt raw. Her ribs and back still burned; it still hurt to eat. She had no interest in going for her breakfast from the blender.

"Knock it off—hold still! Bonnie—!" Ringo snarled angrily and pinned her down by the wrists, ceasing her struggles. She knew his tempers often ran short; she also knew that she had reached the end of the line with it.  
"This is ridiculous! I shouldn't have to literally FIGHT with you to eat something! Bite the bullet and take the pain like a soldier, Carter. You're a Space Knight—not some yellow-bellied coward from the military!"  
"Please…let me go…go away…" She begged, staring deep into his irritated sapphire eyes. "You can't even," she paused to toss her head to the side and cough. It was a wet, barking cough, the kind that made the residual crap in her lungs rattle around and tickle; Bonnie was still grieving over the loss her spleen and the several pneumonias it had left in its place.  
"You can't even scare me into eating anything…" She finished.

He just sighed heavily and stared down at her. "Do you want to go back to the infirmary?" The tension in her small body dissipated.  
He let go of her wrists and got off her bed slowly. "Think about it."  
"I'll leave you alone and go," Ringo bent over and scooped the woman into his arms in one fluid motion. "But you're coming with me!"  
"Nnnoooooo! Ringo put me back…I don't want to…I don't want to…! It hurts! It *cough cough cough* hurts!"  
He rolled his eyes and ignored her as he carried her off to the infirmary. "_I feel like I'm dealing with a two-year-old_…"

* * *

Blade sat in the mess hall with a cup of hot cocoa in hand. He stared down into his cup and brooded over his loss of memory. "_I wonder if I'll ever remember who I am…Maybe there's a reason why I forgot…maybe I'm not supposed to remember._"

"Penny for your thoughts." A gentle voice called from the seat in front of him.  
He lifted his head and looked at the young woman with long blonde hair and royal purple eyes. For whatever odd reason, his heart always filled with warmth every time he looked at her. Blade shook his head slightly. "Oh. It's nothing…"  
_What was her name again?_ He wondered. _Anderson, Annie, Andromeda…  
_She smiled at him. "You sure?"  
He nodded. "Yeah." Then it hit him: _Andrea, that's right. Andrea Summers_.

There was a silence.

A sudden heavy sigh startled them both as a man plunked down in the seat beside Andrea.  
"You're _late_, Ringo." Andrea chided as she checked her watch.  
Ringo's head fell back into his shoulders. "I'm not in the mood for a scolding, Andy," he moaned.  
Blade returned to staring down into his mug.  
"How is she?" Andrea asked. "Did you get her to eat?"

Ringo winced; Andrea noted the fresh red scratch mark that slashed near his ear and ran down the hinge of his jaw. "Not without a fight, I see. Poor Bonnie…" She sighed.  
"You can't imagine the guilt," Ringo murmured, "She fought so much…I had to hold her down while the doctor shoved another feeding tube down her nose…we thought she was getting better, but…"

Blade tilted his mug slightly and watched the way his cocoa splashed around. "She still can't have solid food, huh."  
"Mm-mm." Ringo answered as he sat upright. "Unfortunately we found out this morning that her stomach isn't strong enough yet…"  
Andrea sighed heavily and rested her head in her folded arms on the table. "God bless her…"  
Ringo blue eyes narrowed into a squint. "I'm gonna kill that bastard son of a bitch the next time I see him."  
"I wish the doctors would let me go in and at least hold her hand…" Andrea said.

Blade kept playing with his cocoa.

Ringo shook his head. "No, the Commander kept you out for a reason. You shouldn't have to hear her cry while the doctors force that ice-cold, already broken down shit they call 'nutrients' into her gut…"  
"But why should they make you stay?" Blade asked suddenly.  
Ringo snorted and shrugged. "Because I'm the only one who can restrain her."

"Where is she now?" Andrea asked.  
"In her room asleep. They shot her in the ass with Dilaudid."

Andrea stood up.

Ringo opened an eye and grabbed her by the wrist as she passed. "Where are you going?"  
"To sit with her." She slipped out of his grip and walked away.  
Blade and Ringo left the conversation at that, content to sit with each other in silence.

* * *

She was still angrier than Hell. Vitani lay on her small prison bed, and all she could do was cry the burning fires of fury from her eyes. She had pleaded and pleaded with the general…but to no avail.  
Her lover and best friend—her husband…was gone now.  
And she couldn't stop crying.  
She'd attacked Gault in a raving fit of madness; she found herself waiting here for her sentencing as a result.  
Who cared at this point?

Certainly not her.

"Balzac…" She murmured, blinking away some more tears. "Why'd you ignore my warnings and attack Saber? Why…? You knew he'd kill you…you knew you were no match…why didn't you pull out? Now you've gone and left me all alone…" She took a deep breath and let it out shakily.

Every day, she kept crying that same song, over and over again. It didn't matter how much time had passed—the pain was the soundtrack of her life. A part of her subconsciously found the sound of her voice somewhat comforting.

Vitani's stomach growled angrily; she hadn't eaten a thing in days—let alone had even a single drop of coffee. She rolled over and tried to wipe away her tears. She'd been down in this hole for so long, she didn't even know if her other best friend had pulled through his injuries; for all she knew, the rumors could be true—Marlow was dead. To survive an injury of that magnitude…

He was most likely…  
She drove the gruesome memory out of her head, and a quick chuckle broke through her tears. Why did she have the privilege to watch her loved ones die?  
Not that it mattered much—even if he _was _alive, he'd never be in her company again.

She was a felon now.

If only her punishment would be swift—she couldn't live like this anymore. She didn't want to be by herself. When Vitani was alone, the darkness swallowed her…

Footsteps echoed down the hall and caught her attention. _Hmph. Maybe General Bastard-son-of-a-bitch is coming down to bitch-slap me himself…_ She mused silently. _Just hurry the hell up and kill me already._

"Vitani…? Are you in there?" A voice asked from the other side of her door.  
She looked up and saw two inquisitive brown eyes staring back at her through the narrow slit on her door. "Macmillan?" She asked.  
"What the hell are you doing down here?"

The lieutenant looked around nervously and unlocked her door. Grinning sheepishly, he held out a Styrofoam cup and replied, "I brought you some coffee."  
Vitani eyed the cup in his hand wearily. "Hmm..."  
He waved her off with his hand. "Don't be silly. You look like you need it."

She took it from him and sipped at it slowly, deciding to be grateful. "Thanks, Macmillan. I appreciate it," Vitani murmured sadly. "I'd appreciate it even more if it was poisoned."

"Moron! Don't say that." Marlow scolded as he popped his head into her cell.  
Vitani spat her coffee and started to choke. "Mar-cough-low!"  
He gestured for her to calm down. "Hey, careful—don't choke."

The coffee dropped to the floor; she almost knocked him down with a hug. The tears she had just fought to stop came back tenfold. "You're alive…jesus…thank god you're ok…" Vitani continued to sob into his collar. "I was forced to watch…he was no match…I-I tried to stop him but…and then…and then…I thought…and someone said that you died…and…"  
She cried for a long time.

"Vitani Saint Jacques…what have you gotten yourself into this time?" He suddenly sighed.

Vitani pulled away and glared at him coldly. "How can you take this so lightly? Balzac's dead because of Gault…"  
Marlow shook his head. "I don't think so. He's out there, somewhere… I know it."

Vitani's frown worsened into a scowl. "How can you say that?" She growled back. "I watched him die! Why'd you come here anyway?"  
"To check on you." He replied as he turned on his heels to leave. "I'll get you out…just be patient."  
Vitani turned her back on him and flopped back down into bed. "Yeah. Right. Well, get on outta here—if you get caught, you'll be dead for sure."

Her heart sunk as she heard the heavy titanium door shut and darkness devoured her once more. It was quiet again; she was alone. How unnerving it seemed suddenly. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to sleep.

* * *

Cain stalked around silently outside the Space Knight's Command Center. He followed his target like his own shadow. He knew what he had to do…he felt more like a lioness stalking her prey—he followed in silence; learned, watched their every move…waited until the moment was right…and then he'd spring out of nowhere and catch them by surprise.  
A mischievous smile danced across his lips. "_She thinks she's suffering now…_"  
He ducked as he took notice of a security camera some fifty feet away; it hadn't seen him.  
"_Well, sorry sweetheart…you ain't seen nothin yet._" He hurried along before his prey escaped from view of his watchful eyes.

All in due time…all in due time.

* * *

A/N: I changed Bonnie's physical repercussions slightly in this version. She's still weak and having probs moving around and eating because of the pneumonia—not because her stitches or superficial wounds hadn't healed.

Also: Yes. Her last name is Carter. She was adopted.  
FYI: Dilaudid is a much more potent pain-killer in the same family as morphine, percocet, and vicodin.


	3. Chapter Two: Assemble the Cast

CHAPTER TWO: Assemble the Cast

Andrea walked in between Maggie and Tina on their way to Bonnie's quarters.  
Tina scratched her head. "Do you think she'll be awake?"

The three women stopped in front of their injured comrade's door.  
Andrea nodded; her blonde bangs shook against her forehead. "I heard from the doctor that she's doing a lot better."

Maggie lifted her fist and knocked gently.

"Come in," a soft and weak voice replied from inside.

A smile lit up Bonnie's tired face as they entered the room. She looked absolutely wretched otherwise—her hair was matted and in tangles and her ruby red eyes had even lost their luster; they were dull and glassy.  
"Andy, Maggie, Tina, hi…"

Tina bounded over to Bonnie's bedside. "Hi Bunny! How are you feeling today?" She bent forward and gave her a hug.  
"I've been better," Bonnie answered in a cough.

Maggie greeted with a friendly wave as she approached the foot of the bed. "Hi Bunny."  
Bonnie's eyes glimmered warmly. "I'm so happy to see you all; thanks for coming to visit."

Andrea waved it off with one hand. "Don't be silly—we do it because we love you."  
Tina gave a firm jerk of her head in agreement. "Yeah!"

Maggie took a seat on Bonnie's bed, by her legs and admired the plush patchwork quilt beneath her.  
Bonnie moved her stuffed dingo aside to make more seating room for her guests. Andrea and Tina took places on opposite sides of her.

Andrea grabbed the hairbrush off the bedside table and gently began to work the tangles out of Bonnie's hunter green mane. "I see they finally took the tube out of your nose."  
Bonnie sighed with relief written all over her face. "Yeah, finally. After that fiasco yesterday, I finally gave up fighting the doctors."  
Tina gave her a playful punch in the arm. "You mean you don't like the Dilaudid?"  
The sick young woman returned to her a tested frown. "I'm still hung over."

"That's great!" Maggie praised, "you'll be back to your old self in no time!" She grinned next. "You know, Ringo says that the Blue Earth just isn't the same without you around. He misses you a lot."  
Bonnie scoffed. "After all my clawing and struggling with him, I'd be surprised if he'd be glad to see me if I was the last person on earth!"  
Andrea shook her head. "Nah, you know Ringo. He hates it when you're not around."  
Maggie abruptly changed topics by pulling a box out from behind her back. "We brought you something! But you can't have it until you're 100% better.

Bonnie eyed the box with interest.

Andrea and Tina both nodded.  
Andrea wagged her finger at Bonnie. "And you can't share it either."

Bonnie slowly opened the box and smiled from ear to ear. "Oooooooo…a whole box of different flavored chocolate truffles. Yumm…" Looking up at all her friends, she declared, "Now I'm going to have to work twice as hard to get better; so I can eat something decent for once. Thanks, guys."

Tina pinched Andrea's arm. "You were right, Andy."

Ringo came in at that moment without knocking. "What you got there, Bun-bun?" He asked while poking his head over Andrea's shoulder with sparkling eyes of curiosity.  
Bonnie looked up at him. "Hi, Ringo. A box of chocolate truffles."

Tina stuck her tongue out at him. "But you don't get any!"

A pout washed over Ringo's face. "Why not?"  
Bonnie shook her head. "I'm sorry, I was told I couldn't share with anyone."  
He sighed. "That's not very nice. But if it meant you'd actually eat them, then I guess I shouldn't complain."  
He bent over to kiss her cheek and caught the corner of her mouth by mistake. "I just came to tell you that I'm leavin' for the day."

Maggie folded her arms across her chest. "Where are _you_ going?"

Bonnie reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck for a hug, her face slightly flushed—it felt nice to have his lips there.

"I have a few things I need to take care of…" He answered, loosely returning the embrace—he didn't want to hurt her. "The Commander gave me the day off."  
Her hold slackened. "You're leaving me?"  
He shut his eyes. "Sorry, Bunny. Rachel's been in town for awhile…I think it's about time I go over and pay her a visit."  
She grinned. "Oh, tell her I said hello. Let me guess…she's going to make you take her out and go _shopping_."

"Little sisters…" He grumbled in a slightly rankled tone of voice. "Gotta love em."  
Bonnie let him go as he stood up. "Bye, Ringo. Don't have too much fun."  
He rolled his eyes. "Hah. Yeah right. See ya, ladies."

They all waved.

He left just as quickly as he'd appeared.

Bonnie sighed. "Poor guy…the Commander probably gave him the day off cause he felt sorry for him. I'm sure poor Ringo's dying to get away from me—I'm such a pain in the ass."  
"Why is the doctor still insisting that you go to the infirmary for your meals?" Maggie asked.

Bonnie smirked. "Because. I wouldn't eat otherwise. He has to make sure that I eat-or actually drink-every bit of that crap he gives me. And if I don't, then I get the tube put back in to make sure of it."  
"O-oh. How awful!" Maggie sighed.

Bonnie nodded again. "Yeah…but now it's not hurting as badly…the doctor says I can try real food that's easy on the stomach later on tonight."

Andrea changed the subject. "Ringo's not dying to get away from you, Bunny! As a matter of fact I spoke with him earlier this morning; he said he'd _much_ rather be with you than carting around his little sister for the day. He cares for you an awful lot…"  
Tina saw a band of pink flush across the bridge of Bonnie's nose.  
Maggie pointed a finger at her. "Ah! You SEE? I _knew_ you had a thing for him."

Bonnie's head sunk as her pale face became tinted with a pinkish hue. "…" Was all she could answer in her defense.

Maggie giggled. "I was right! You do!"  
Tina snorted. "So what? I think they look cute together."

Bonnie could almost feel the heat radiating from her face now. "…" She said again as she scratched her head nervously.

"Aw! Just imagine all the little kids!" Maggie crooned in another giggle.  
Bonnie knit her brows together. "Guys…come on, knock it off…"

"Well, he _did_ just waltz in here like he owned the place…" Andrea added.  
"Hey! That's because—"  
The rest of Bonnie's afternoon was filled with joy and laughter.

If only the same could be said of Ringo…

* * *

Adjusting the rear-view mirror to his car, Ringo's eyes grazed over his reflection. A pink streak was still visible down the side of his jaw, from the 'attack' yesterday.  
Attack…well; he really wouldn't call it that. It was more like an act of self-defense.

Poor Bonnie.

His heart welled up with anger every time he recalled all the pain and suffering she'd gone through to get this far. "_That bastard sonuvabitch's ass is mine the next time I run into him…_" He promised himself for the umpteenth time.  
"_He's gonna pay for all the shit he's pulled…_" Placing his sunglasses over his narrowed eyes, he turned the key to the ignition, and left the Command Center.

The desert air outside was hot and dry, and the blazing sun baked the dusty, sandy brown landscape mercilessly. Flat—the horizon lay out for miles and miles; its view unobstructed, save the few rocks littered about here and there. The city was quite a ways away, but that was all right.  
He didn't mind.  
Long drives like this gave him time to sort out his thoughts and feelings. It gave him time to think, undisturbed from the rest of the world.

For instance, what possessed Bonnie to go out and confront Saber like that–it was still bothering him—what was her motive?

Was it suicide?

She didn't want to die anymore, did she?

He couldn't bear to have to go through something like that again. He winced as the gruesome images of Bonnie being run through replayed in his mind. He was there, he could've done something…but instead he'd just stood there like an idiot…  
He noticed that Saber liked to target his brother and Bonnie. _Why_ her, though?  
Did she have some connection to it all?

If she did, she wasn't talking about it.

Once he asked her why she went to Saber and spoke to him. She looked at him for a moment, and then her head sunk and she cast her gaze to her lap. "I…I don't know."  
After that, she never talked about it ever again. She'd always find a way to avoid it and change the subject.

Bonnie…that woman was truly something else. She was kind, generous, carefree and outgoing; yet at the same time she was a serious, brave and aggressive soldier. Oh sure, sometimes his self-proclaimed, 'mad flying skills' would scare her half to death, but…

Ringo smiled to himself. He couldn't wait until she'd be able to 'come back to work'. She was the best copilot in the world, and he wouldn't have it any other way. She was fun to be around. Cute, too.  
He kicked that thought. Forget cute, the woman was beautiful—even if she was a little shorter than him. As a matter of fact, he just thought it made her all the more interesting.

A little shorter than him?  
Ringo smirked. The top of the woman's head just barely reached his diaphragm. His smirk turned into a wolfish grin as his mind wandered from there.

He really cared for her a lot—her near-death experience had given him the extra push forward he'd needed to finally decide to do something about it. He loved her. And there was no way, he decided, that she would die without him getting it off his chest.

He would have to confess.

* * *

Vitani was curled up in a corner on the cold floor with her face in her knees. "I…" She began, listening to the way her voice echoed off the barren walls of her cell. "I'm alone…" She giggled mindlessly to herself. "I'm all alone…"

It had been three days since she'd been given the coffee—she hoped Marlow hadn't been caught. The last thing she needed was to lose him too. She dug her face further into her skin and did her best not to cry.  
It was so dark in her cell now, she couldn't even see herself. A cold shudder ran down her spine. The cold and darkness were so unsettling—it was slowly driving her insane.  
How long was it going to take before she was sentenced for her insubordination?

She already knew what it was going to be. She was going to be given the death penalty for attacking General Gault. That's what he did with _all_ his traitors nowadays.  
She shook her head. How could she stop herself? Watching her husband die like that… Oh well, it didn't matter. If she died, she died. Death never scared her, but… Being alone scared her; she'd much rather die than be alone.

* * *

Ringo grumbled something bad under his breath and hopped out of his car. The sudden flatness of his tire required inspection. His eyes nearly fell out of his head—the left rear tire was blown so hard, it was already draped across the wheel like a thin rag. He sighed loudly as he popped the trunk to fish around for the jack and his spare.

Rummaging around, he found all sorts of stuff he thought he'd lost; stuff like a jacket, box of old letters, some energy drinks…  
He located the spare and the jack; they hit the dirt with a loud clang. Ringo rolled up his sleeves, and checked his watch.

Rachel would have his head if he was late.

Midway through the task, he stretched his neck to peer over the side of his car—he felt as if he was being watched. By what, he had no idea. A cold shiver washed across the back of his neck and down his spine.

He was alone.

And besides…what could possibly get him all the way out here? A jackrabbit? He shook his head and went back to work. He was being retarded—there was nothing to be afraid of.

Afraid? That was new.

How sheepish he felt when he realized he hadn't had an intuitional sense like that since he was a kid. Back then the most he was afraid of stalking him were the creatures of the Bermuda Triangle that Randy always warned him about. His older brother used to tell him all sorts of horror stories about pilots who crashed in the Triangle. They mutated into vengeful monsters, bent on destroying anyone who dared to fly over their territory.  
Ringo scoffed. His brother often loved to scare the piss out of him when he was little. It was his hobby: scare Richard into a little bundle of nerves so that by the time he has to go to bed, the family cat would send him up the walls.

Standing up, Ringo brushed away all the rusty colored dust on his clothing. He still felt uneasy, as if he should get out and back on the road soon. Turning to pick up his things, his body slammed into the rear fender. The next thing he knew, he was swiftly moving further and further away from his car. Soon enough it was just a speck in the sand.

What the hell was going on?

The shock wore away and he was able to perceive his environment. Cold metal pressed into his stomach; he was dangling upside-down. Something else metal barred across the backs of his legs. His eyes widened—he was just swept off his feet by a Tekkaman. The color of his armor was black and red.

Saber.

He knit his brows together and swallowed hard. Whatever happened, he wasn't going to give in without one hell of a fight.


	4. Chapter Three: Draw the Curtain

CHAPTER THREE: Draw the Curtain

Mac gently handed Bonnie a steaming bowl on a tray. "Here ya go, lass. A nice hot bowl of chicken noodle soup."  
She smiled as she sat down on the floor of Hangar Three and rested her back against the enormous tires of the Blue Earth. "Thanks, Mac. Now here's hoping I can actually eat it."

Maggie waved her finger in the air while bending forward into a box of tools. "Of course you can, Bunny. I made it myself!"

The young woman took a spoonful and slowly lifted it to her lips. Quietly she slurped it up and gnashed her teeth together as she swallowed hard. A sharp wrenching sensation shot up from the pit of her stomach and she did her best not to complain.  
She took another slurp and finished the whole bowl one tiny spoonful at a time.

Stretching, she leaned her head back into her shoulders and stared up at the ship that rested behind her. It was beautiful.

Maggie pulled out a few wrenches and went to a box of mechanical parts across the hangar. "I wonder where Ringo is? Has he come back yet?"

Bonnie shook her head. "No, not that I know of. He should be back by now, though. Hmm. Maybe he's in bed?"  
"Maybe."  
Bonnie closed her red eyes. "You know, he hardly ever gets to see his family anymore."

Maggie took a small alternator out of the box and walked over to her workbench on the opposite wall. "Oh I know. How about you, Bonnie? Have you heard from yours lately?"  
Bonnie winced at the mention of _family_. "Oh yeah." Her voice flattened, "I ran into my brother just the other day…" She supposed his amnesia was more of a blessing than a curse.

The red haired mechanic smiled as she pulled out a screwdriver. "That's great! You know—it's funny sometimes when the ones you love pop up suddenly."  
"Speaking of funny and loved ones—I heard from the Dingo—who woulda guessed Vitani was married to Balzac?"

Maggie's smile quickly washed into a frown. "Yeah, I know. With the way she treated him while he was here, I wouldn't have thought it. Not in a million years."  
Bonnie shuddered. "I don't blame her; he was uglier than hell. And another thing: Vitani had been with us for months and months—spying right under our noses! How could Commander Jamison not have noticed?"  
"She's sneaky." The other woman answered with a shake of her head.

"Vitani Saint Jacques: nothing more than an unimportant spy for General Gault. It still blows me away."

Maggie sighed heavily in response and loosened her shoulders as her head hung. "None of that matters now. Haven't you heard? Balzac went up to the Space Ring to train some troops and they ran into trouble. Poor Vitani was forced to watch her husband fight a losing battle with Saber…"

Bonnie cringed at the name.

"…She pleaded with Gault to order his retreat, but he wouldn't budge. So, when Saber…" Maggie paused with another sigh and formed her next words carefully and lowered her voice a few notches. "When Saber killed him, Vitani was stricken with so much grief that she _attacked_ the general."

Bonnie straightened and leaned forward with wide eyes. "_Vitani attacked Gault_?"

"She was sent back to her old base in NYC and put in solitary confinement. He's charging her with insubordination and attempted murder."

Another stone weighted Bonnie's stomach and she settled back down. "_She'll be put to death…_"

"And on public television, no less."  
"Poor Vitani! She may have been a bit catty at times _and_ a spy for the military, but—"  
"—she was still our friend," Maggie finished with a nod.  
"Isn't there anything we can do?"  
"Unfortunately, no."

Maggie went back to work; Bonnie swallowed hard and sat in silence while still trying to soak it in.

* * *

Ringo ground his teeth. "You bastard." He snarled as he tried to break free from his restraints. "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to her…"

The dark haired man raised an uninterested eyebrow as he peered down the vast ravine below. The sun was setting; soon the desert would be blanketed in darkness. "Say what you want." He said in a laugh. "It won't matter in a few minutes, anyway."

The blonde blinked away the thick blood that spilled into them from a gash on his forehead. Even the snot beaten out of him couldn't keep his big mouth shut. He grunted and tried to pull his bound wrists apart.  
"I'll kill you." He spat.

Cain glanced over at the sorry excuse for a human and sighed. He shook his head sadly. "I don't think so. The only ones who are to die are Bonnie and Blade."

Bonnie. The word rolled strangely on his tongue.

"What's your beef with her, anyway? Wha'd she ever do to you?"  
He snickered and slowly walked over to where his captive sat, undaunted by the piercing glare that was returned to him. "And, you're going to do it. Then the Earth shall be ours."

"On a cold day in hell." Ringo responded.

Cain bent over and stuck his face in his to match gazes. "You're not in much a position to talk, are you?"

Ringo's mere reply was to spit in his face.

Cain swung back up to a standing position. "Still spirited, I see." He took in a fistful of hair near his captive's scalp and pulled hard. "That's a shame. For you, at least—it just makes my job more amusing." With that he threw his key to victory off the edge of the cliff, and into the deep ravine below.

* * *

The next morning…

Bonnie slowly walked down the halls towards the infirmary. Life was a lot harder when you didn't have someone to carry you everywhere you wanted to go. Ringo hadn't come to wake her up this morning, the chore assigned to him after she was discharged.  
She sighed. Maybe he really was sick and tired of having to go through such a big hassle. She really wouldn't blame him, though.  
"_Ringo, where are you?_" She wondered silently to herself. "_Did you make it back ok? If so, how come you didn't even stop to say hello? Did something happen yesterday? Maybe he's really depressed. Maybe I should stop by his room and check…_"

Stopping to clear her lungs with another bark, she turned around and headed in the other direction. Breakfast could wait. As if on queue, he happened to turn the corner. She stopped dead in her tracks and just stared. His clothes were covered in dust; she could see dried blood in his hair.

"Ringo, you're back! What happened? You look terrible."  
Ringo looked down at her with cold, unfeeling eyes. "Nothing." He answered sharply.  
Bonnie gazed back at him, confused. Slowly she stumbled forward and grabbed hold of the arm at his side. "I was just thinking about you…"

His body was tense and rigid.

He yanked out of her grasp; she tumbled forward, legs too weak to catch her balance. Without even turning around to see if she was all right, he walked off to take a shower.  
Bonnie tried to get back up, but she hadn't the strength.  
"Ringo…" She called. "I-I'm kinda stuck…"

He merely ignored her.

"_What happened to you?_ _Is Rachel okay? How about your brother Randy? Is he even alive? I'll try to talk to him later, after he's cooled off._" She scratched her head as she sat there in the middle of the hallway. "_Is it just me, or did his eyes seem a little off? Like, the blue isn't right, or something...?_" She scoffed at such a silly thing. "_Don't be silly, Bunny. It's just your hunger getting to you._" Her stomach growled in agreement.

Another person turned the corner. "Commander Jamison…?"  
He stopped and looked down at her in bewilderment. Bonnie smiled up at him sheepishly.  
"Sir, I'm sorry, but…could you…?"  
"Bonnie, how on Earth did you end up down there?" He bent over and got her standing again. "Thank you, Sir." She answered. "I lost my balance and fell."  
He remained looking at her with a puzzled expression. "What are you doing out of bed?"

She picked at the ends of her hair. "Well, I was on my way to the infirmary…the doctor was kinda angry at me last night, for not eating my soup where he could see me."  
"Wasn't someone there to help you?" He asked.  
Bonnie shook her head. "No Sir. Ringo isn't feeling well. And you know that we all have work to do…I didn't want to pull anyone away from anything important."

Commander Jamison took her arm. "Nonsense. Come on, I'll help you."  
Bonnie looked up at him gratefully. "Aren't you busy? I-I can do it if I go slowly…"  
Jamison chuckled softly. "By the time you'd get there on your own it would be dinnertime. My research can wait a few minutes."  
Her heart swelled. "Thank you so much, Sir. I really appreciate you going out of your way to help me."  
He shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

"So, Ringo's not feeling good…" He began.  
Bonnie nodded, taking the hint of, "do tell". "Yeah. He went to visit his sister…I think something bad happened…"  
Jamison gave a slight rise of his head. "So that explains it."  
She looked back up at him as they walked down the hallway arm in arm. "Sir?"

"Commander chewed Ringo out for coming back late, and Ringo didn't even try to make up an excuse! All he said was, '_Yes, Sir. I'm sorry. It won't happen again_.'" Tina piped up from behind them.  
"Strange…" Bonnie replied.

"I finished up that report you wanted, Sir." Tina said, pulling a disk out of her pocket.  
"Thank you. Put it by my computer."  
She nodded. "Yes, Sir."

* * *

Ringo got into bed and shut his eyes. He needed sleep. His body still ached from the beating, but he didn't mind. His thoughts focused in on his new objectives in life:  
Follow orders  
Report anything that might be important in the future back to Saber  
Stay underfoot  
And finally,

Destroy the Tekkaman named Lightsabre before she could become a nuisance.

He shut his eyes. According to Saber, objective number four was top priority. He snickered slightly as his mind conjured up numerous creative ways to do her in.

* * *

A/N: 3/15/11: The inability to use indentation is driving me up a tree. At least there are borders I can use to break up the passages for the different characters.


	5. Chapter Four: Let the Show Begin

CHAPTER FOUR: Let the Show Begin…

_Bonnie lay on her back in the midst of a mossy forest surrounded by enormous pines. The sky was a light gray as a gentle rain softly trickled onto her body. She smiled and shut her eyes as her body was enveloped in her very own paradise. She could stay there forever. _

_No longer would any hardships weigh on her mind. No war, no Venomoids. Not even the fate of her planet. _

_She rolled over onto her side; her deep ruby red eyes opened to gaze lovingly over at a pale purple iris that stuck up out of the ground beside her head. Just as she reached out to touch it, a deafening roar of thunder shattered her picture-perfect haven. The skies grew as black as night, and her gentle rain transformed into a ferocious downpour. Thunder roared again, and the earth shook beneath her. _

_Bonnie stood up, enveloped in a sea of despair._

_She could hear a faint cry in the distance:_

_Someone was calling out to her—calling for help. _

_Another crash of thunder sent her skittering across the forest. _

"_Where are you?" She cried back. _

I'm here! I'm here! Please!

_Bonnie dashed through the trees, following the voice. _

Don't leave me! The voice cried again. You're my only hope.

_Bonnie whirled around, her eyes darting about frantically. "Who are you? Where are you?" _

You already know the answer to that_. The voice grew weaker by the second. _Please…before it's too late…

She ducked as a bolt of lightning split a nearby tree in half. "Where! I can't see you!" 

You're my only hope…_ The voice repeated again. _

_Then it was gone. _

The earth opened, devouring her into its dark and mysterious depths… 

…………

Bonnie's eyes shot open and looked around. Her room was shaking; the glass to her window was gone.

"Wh-what's going on?!" She asked, falling out of bed as another rumble shook the Command Center. The adrenaline brought her to her feet; she barreled out of the room and stumbled down the halls clumsily.

Another rumble.

She swore she smelled smoke looming in the air.

"There you are, Lass! Come on, it's not safe here!" Mac exclaimed, breathless.

In one quick motion he scooped her up into his arms and ran her down to the underground Intensive Care Unit, where Maggie, Tina, and Aki all stood. Blade was sitting on the floor in one corner, his face a blank slate.

"What's going on?!" Bonnie exclaimed as she looked about the room, bewildered.

"Somehow Saber and his crew found our location! And now he's attacking us like there's no tomorrow. He wants Blade to come out and fight him…" Tina answered.

Bonnie's eyes fell out of her head. "They'll kill him!"

Mac put her down and went back upstairs to accompany Jamison in the Command Room.

"We know." Maggie sighed sadly.

Blade said nothing; he hadn't the heart to fight. A hundred people could keep track of his time limit, it seemed, and he'd still lose it.

…He had been so careful…

--------------------------------------------------------

Vitani's eyes opened slowly at the sound of her door swinging open.

"?" She asked, narrowing her eyes from the sudden light.

"Vitani, get up!"

She grunted as she was pulled to her feet. "Marlow? What…what's going on…?"

Marlow yanked her towards the door. "Come on, you have to get out of here…"

She pulled away and rubbed her eyes. "So, the sentence has finally been decided, huh. So…what is it? Lethal injection? The chair? Or a firing squad?"

Marlow kept pulling. "It's not funny, 'Tani. General Gault's going to launch the Ultron Bomb…somebody has to stop him… Everything is going haywire right now—perfect time to escape."

She frowned, as now her eyes had adjusted to the light. "It is the death penalty, isn't it."

"…" He squeezed her wrist.

"Let me guess. He's going to hit the Space Ring—_I was wondering when he was going to do that—_and that somebody that's going to stop him is you, right?"

He nodded, his eyes fixed on the path ahead. "That's why you have to get out of here."

Vitani pulled out of his death hold and folded her arms across her chest. "No way. You're not going to send me away to someplace safe while you go and get yourself killed."

He glared at her. "I'm not going to sit around and watch you get slaughtered."

She threw her hands in the air. "What, you want to take my place? If you go and argue with the General, he'll shoot you down on the spot—you know that."

"Do you have any idea what would happen if the Space Ring was hit with a weapon of that magnitude?" He asked.

She scratched her head. "It would vaporize?"

He threw his hands in the air. "No, stupid. It would break apart—"

Vitani stared down his hazel eyes coldly. "—and then the pieces would fall to earth and cause mass destruction. Okay. But so what?"

"Come on, you're wasting time!" He reached out to grab her, but she maneuvered out of the way.

"No Marlow! You can't die and leave me here; I won't let you. Tell you what—I'm already sentenced to death, so I'll go stop the General. Get out of here and save yourself."

"And how are you going to do that?" He countered.

She thought about it for a moment. "I'd…well? How were YOU going to stop him?"

He shrugged. "I haven't figured it all out yet."

She nodded again. "That's what I thought. You're just going out on a suicide mission. When did he start the sequence?"

"Ten minutes ago."

She sighed. "Well…we have twenty minutes left, so…" A light bulb suddenly clicked on in her head. "I'd bet I could hack into the system and stop the launch."

He thought about it.

She snatched his arm and dashed down the hallway. "I might as well go down doing something right for once. If you just went off by yourself to stop him, you'd just get killed, the Space Ring would go, and I'd just be left to face the aftermath…and what kind of life to live is that? Think about it."

His head sunk into his shoulders as they ran. She had a point. "I won't let you go it alone, then."

She popped her head around a corner, and looked around. "We'll go out together."

--------------------------------------------------------

"Heads up. That mad man Gault's brought the Ultron Bomb online." Mac said as he poked his head into the Space Knights' makeshift shelter.

Aki and Bonnie whirled around.

"You can't be serious!" Bonnie breathed.

Mac shook his head. "Wait twenty minutes and then you'll see how serious I am."

Tina clenched her fists. "There has to be a way to stop him!"

Commander Jamison came into the room then. "I believe Tekkaman Blade can be able to do it."

A low hiss escaped Blade's lungs as his head sunk into his chest. "_Why bother?"_ He wondered to himself. "_Why bother going out there to save them, when I'm just gonna make the situation worse?_"

"But Sir," Aki began as she looked at Jamison with pleading eyes. "If we send Blade out there, Saber and the others will be waiting for him!"

"We must move quickly and quietly." He answered.

"They'll be watching every possible way out!"

"Every ventilation shaft, you think?" Commander Jamison asked.

She blinked in reply. "I completely forgot about those."

"There's one two kilometers to the East." He added.

"But will he be able to get away without being seen…" She wondered.

"With a little luck, maybe so." The Commander answered.

"What we need is a diversion. If I can distract those clowns long enough with the Blue Earth, that might do it." Ringo spoke up suddenly from the corner of the room. He'd been against the wall the whole time, silent. It appeared as though he was concentrating on something.

"But Ringo…" Bonnie started, turning her head to look at him.

"Hey, I'd be happier than a clam if we could come up with some other way to do it, but frankly I can't think of any. Any ideas?" He snapped back in a growl.

Bonnie reared her head back slightly in amazement. Lowering her chin to her chest, she said nothing. For the passed week he'd been anything but pleasant to her; that is, if he couldn't avoid her first. And she still couldn't figure out why.

"Maggie, would it be possible to augment the Teknobot's speed with an auxiliary booster?" CJ (**C**ommander **J**amison) asked.

"Mm-hmm. I don't see why not." She said with a reassuring nod.

"Sure thing. We can give Pegas enough horsepower to reach the Ultron Bomb launching site with time to spare!" Mac added enthusiastically.

"Well then, it's up to you, Blade." CJ turned to look at the melancholy man on the floor.

"You're our only hope." Aki breathed.

"I can't." Blade replied.

"You have no choice!" she argued.

"I almost killed you. _Again_…"

"If you don't go, we're _all_ going to die! Can you really just sit on your hands and watch?"

How many times has he had this talk with Aki? Every time she made him feel better, he just screwed everything back up in the end…

"You have to try," Maggie insisted softly. "Try, and that'll be all that matters."

"No one can blame you after that." Aki pressed on.

With some reluctance, he left the room to get ready.

Bonnie lifted her eyes and glanced meekly at the man still leaned against the wall with his arms crossed against his chest. "You'd…best get ready yourself…"

His cold eyes opened and he glared at her frigidly in return.

She cast her gaze back to the floor.

Soon the only ones left in the room were Aki and Bonnie. They sat together in silence, waiting on the impending doom.

----------------------------------------------

"_Did you get all that_?"

Tekkaman Saber chuckled at the voice in his head. "_Well done. So, the little Space Knights think they can outsmart me, eh? Well, we'll just see about that._" He answered. He snickered and readied his lance.

"_You can't escape me, Brother…your time has come…_"

Ringo entered the cockpit of the Blue Earth and plopped down into the pilot's seat. He looked around and sighed. This was probably the last time he'd ever fly the thing. Flying a ship was below him now.

He didn't need it. Besides—there was too much sentimental attachment to the Blue Earth. He was a different person now… As soon as Blade was out of the way, he would blow this Popsicle stand.

A vicious grin worked its way onto his face. And then his former comrades would face violent deaths at his hands. Especially the short one. Hers was to be the most creative of all. A shudder traveled down his spine as he contemplated just how she should die.

"Ringo? Ringo. HEY! RINGO!" Tina's voice jolted him out of his bloodthirsty thoughts.

"It's about time. Listen. The Teknobot's coming out in thirty seconds, so it's time to make a commotion."

He nodded slightly in jest. "Right. One big commotion coming right up." With that he closed the communications channel and fired up the engines.

Commander Jamison, Tina, Mac and Maggie watched with hope as the Blue Earth ran along the launch ramp.

-----------------------------------------------

The four Tekkamen turned their heads and flashed their eyes at the ship.

"The coward! He's getting away!" Tekkaman Axe growled.

Saber held his arm out. "You're being fooled."

--------------------------------------------------

Tina knit her brows together in confusion as the Tekkamen let the Blue Earth fly over their heads. "Commander…what are they doing…?"

--------------------------------------------------------------

Saber tightened his grip on his lance, and flashed his eyes as he caught sight of his brother soaring off in the opposite direction. "THERE YOU ARE, BROTHER!" He growled happily as he followed in pursuit.

--------------------------------------------

Maggie brought her hands to her head. "They didn't buy it!"

Tina pointed a finger. "Look! One of them's just taken down the Blue Earth!" She opened up another channel to the Blue Earth. "This is Space Knights Command Center to Blue Earth…Ringo, are you okay?"

Ringo shook his head briskly as he tried to get the kink out of his neck. "Oh sure. I'm fine."

They all sighed relief.

"How's Blade doing?" He asked with a ferocious spark in his eyes. Somehow, no one seemed to notice.

------------------------------------------

"Hello, Brother. Thought you could escape, could you?" Saber asked. He pounced Blade, knocking him off Pegas. "I'm afraid we still have some unfinished business to take care of."

Blade flashed his eyes once. "I don't have time for you, Saber." He turned to get back on Pegas.

Saber hurled his weapon straight through it. "What's the rush?" He asked in an angry voice.

Blade ducked an axe swing to his head, and maneuvered passed another lance.

Pegas sparked a few times and shut off.

Now there was no way to get to the launch site in time. At least he had to try.

Blade flew off, only to be intercepted by his persistent brother.

"You're not going anywhere!"

And so the battle began.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tina began to type furiously as she tried to contact Blade. Did he make it? Or did the enemy Tekkamen find him? Her monitor flickered and a pair of tired, stonewashed blue eyes faded into screen.

"Did…did I get it?" A woman's voice asked.

Tina stared in amazement—she knew that voice. "Vitani!"

The eyes blinked once.

Vitani pulled away from the screen to reveal her face. "Huh? Tina? Oh no, that's not right…"

"What are you doing?"

Vitani looked at the Commander. "Commander Jamison! I didn't mean to contact you…but now that I'm here I must warn you…"

"General Gault is launching the Ultron Bomb! Tell us something we don't know!" Maggie exclaimed.

Vitani's eyes widened. "You knew? Well, then. That's good, I think. I don't have much time left, so I'd better go…"

"What do you mean?" Maggie insisted.

Vitani smiled. "Why, what else? To do my job, of course. Godspeed, people. Wish me luck." And then she disappeared.

"Commander? What was that all about?" Tina asked as she turned around in her chair.

"Wait a minute…she's a hacker, right?" Maggie began.

"Of course! The lass is trying to hack into the computers to stop the launching sequence!" Mac exclaimed.

CJ shut his eyes. "Let's hope she can do it."

------------------------------------------------------------

"How are we doing time-wise?" Vitani asked as her fingers flew across the keyboard at lightning speed.

"You've only got ten more minutes…" Marlow replied.

They'd found a simple computer built into the wall down the hall, and Vitani was giving it her best to try and get into the system.

"Dammit, man! This is hard…so far everything I've thrown at it has been ignored."

Marlow kept watch. "Keep trying." He answered. "I know you can do it."

Vitani wiped away the perspiration from her brow and kept working. "I've never seen so many levels of security on this thing…hell, getting into the Space Knights' computers is a piece of cake compared to this…" She sighed.

She wiped her forehead again and tried to calm her heart pounding in her chest. "_You can do this, 'Tani. You can do this…it's just like any other day. You have to do it…_" Her heart skipped as she got through the first level of the firewall. Typing faster, she managed to get through the second. And then the third.

"How we doin'?" She asked, swallowing hard.

"Seven minutes…"

A wrong command sent her right back to the start. "SHIT!" She cursed.

Marlow glanced over his shoulder. Never in his life had he ever seen someone type so fast.

She entered commands vehemently. The words, "LEVEL ONE SECURITY BREACH//OK!" came onto the screen.

She typed some more. "LEVEL TWO SECURITY BREACH//OK!"

Third level.

And then she got through the fourth.

Then the fifth.

And the sixth.

"Time!" She called, her voice shaken with anxiety.

"Five minutes."

"Okay…one more level to go…" She gasped. Her fingers ached but she couldn't afford the luxury to give into pain at the moment.

"LEVEL SEVEN SECURITY BREACH… … … …

OK! PLEASE ENTER COMMAND FOR LAUNCH SEQUENCE 579"

Vitani threw her fist into the air. "YES!" Cracking her wrists, she began again. The code to end, and then scramble the launch sequence was a long and tricky one—every computer that handled such things was different. She'd only done a few of these scrambles in her life—and they were all just simulations…

"Come on, Tani. Three minutes."

"I've got it, I've got it…" She hit the enter key.

"… … …PLEASE ENTER AUTHORIZATION NAME AND NUMBER." The screen said.

"Fucking piece of shit…" She entered the code to bypass it.

"INVALID NAME AND NUMBER…THIS PROGRAM WILL NOW TERMINATE."

"Two minutes."

Vitani swore through clenched teeth as she repeated the entire process.

"PLEASE ENTER AUTHORIZATION NAME AND NUMBER…"

"In the final sixty seconds the sequence can't be stopped—any attempts to do so will result in the self-destruction of the base…hurry…" Marlow breathed.

Vitani hit her temples with the heels of her hands. "It's all or nothing, baby. Here goes…" She put in her derogatory name from the general and her ID number. It was a little silly and conceited, but who knew? It could happen—she was out of ideas at this point.

"…STREET RAT…#675343666890001"

The screen went blank for a second, and then the green letters reappeared. "NAME AND NUMBER VERIFIED. OK TO CONTINUE? Y/N"

"I did it! I did it!"

Just as she lowered her finger to hit the Y key, the click of a gun halted her. She felt cold steel pressed against her temple.

"Touch that keyboard again, an I'll blow your brains out of your head and paint the walls with 'em." A voice growled.

Shakily, she looked up and saw one of Marlow's former lackeys standing beside her. He had wild red hair and greenish yellow eyes. He was still in his lab coat.

He glanced over at Marlow. "That goes the same to you, bitch. One step closer and I'll pull the trigger."

"Why are you doing this?" Vitani asked.

"Because I want to see the Venomoids all destroyed just as much as everyone else!"

"You're a moron. Darkon's base is located on the far side of the moon. The Space Ring is just a Venomoid outpost."

The lower ranking scientist scoffed. "Of course _you'd_ say that—you're in league with those crazy Space Knights!" He gestured towards the ceiling with his weapon. "Get up!"

Vitani did as she was instructed. It was too late now, anyway. That slight delay was all it took for her to fail.

Vitani grunted as she was literally thrown back into her jail cell; at least she had company this time.

"After this is all over, I'm going to laugh my ass off as you two are fried for insubordination. See ya." With that the door slammed shut and the two were shrouded in darkness.

"Well, we tried." She sighed.

Marlow sat up and dusted himself off. "We were so close…"

She sat up as well, and leaned her back against the wall with her knees tucked against her chest. "Do you think trying to do what was right counts for anything?" She asked.

"I don't know. I'd like to think so anyway."

The earth shook violently as the launch began.

Vitani shut her eyes. "I can't believe this is happening…" She said over the loud, rumbling caused by the engines firing up. The bomb was so massive—it would take a few minutes just to get up off the ground.

"Do you think a piece of the ring will hit the base?" She asked, turning her head towards the place where she heard him last.

"That's a good question." He answered.

Vitani swallowed hard. For the first time in a long time, she was scared for her own life. Now that death was certain, she cowered before its presence. She thought she could laugh in the face of death…

Her ears split as the intense bass rumbling shook throughout her entire being. It was almost like standing next to an enormous subwoofer. Falling to her knees, she felt around for her friend in the pitch dark. If she was going to die, at least she didn't want to feel as if she were alone.

The rumbling slowly grew softer and softer as it rose higher into the sky. Soon, it was gone. Vitani and Marlow butted heads somewhere in the middle.

"Ouch." She muttered, sitting up once more. She rubbed her head, and asked, "It will take at least ten minutes, won't it? You know, before it….hits…?"

"At least." He replied.

With her back against the wall once again, she leaned to her left and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm kinda scared…" He heard her murmur over the horrible ringing in his ears.

He let his head fall against hers and hooked a comforting arm around her shoulders. "So am I."

---------------------------------

Blade fought furiously with his brother. A brightly shining star in the distance caught his eye. Coming to the realization that it was bright fire burning from the bomb, he paused in shock.

He was too late…

That mere second of Blade's loss of concentration was all Saber needed to plunge his lance deep into his brother's chest.

Blade's ribcage split with a loud crack; he howled in agony as the sharp weapon grazed passed his spinal column and erupted from his shoulder.

"The game's over, Brother…you lose."

Blade shallowly gasped for air, trying to fight the imminent collapse of his lungs.

Swinging his arm out to the side, Blade flew off Saber's weapon, and was flattened against a canyon wall.

Once on the ground, each of the four Tekkamen took turns stabbing their items of attack into his tattered and bloody body.

------------------------------------------------------

A shockwave shot throughout the telepathic links all Tekkamen shared.

Andrea's eyes widened as she sat in the underground shelter with the rest of the remaining Space Knights.

Bonnie clenched her head and fell to her knees, wondering what had brought on this sudden headache.

Ringo was in another corner, bandaged and alone. He squeezed his eyes shut from the sudden pain as well.

"Something's happened!" Andrea exclaimed. Quickly she opened a channel to the Commander, who was still in the Command room upstairs. "Commander—"

CJ shook his head sadly.

She gasped. "Blade is…"

He nodded, and silently relayed to her the images one of the security cameras had caught. "Don't say anything about it yet." CJ commanded.

Andrea solemnly nodded, and left to crouch in a corner so she could cry unnoticed.

Saber didn't buy into that diversion—she knew that. And she could have helped fend the Tekkamen off while Blade went to stop the launch…but because of her current _health condition_, she was forbidden to leave the base. She wept softly into her knees, and prayed that her intuition was wrong, that Blade had somehow survived…

"_Blade is no more…he's finished. Victory is ours!_" Saber sneered into her mind. "_And now your pathetic planet will be cleansed of you silly humans._"

"No…" Andrea murmured. "No, no, no…"

Bonnie ambled over to her best friend and collapsed to her knees beside her. "Andy! What's wrong!?"

Andrea sat up, with tears streaming down her face. She collapsed into Bonnie's arms, and cried into her shoulder, trying to drown the evil laughter in her head.

-----------------------------------

_The sky was streaked with a band of horrific light,_

_It widened until it all was an intense pure white._

_The Earth trembled in fear_

_Whilst the destiny of mankind was made clear._

_All anyone could do was watch and wait_

_As enormous meteors struck down_

_Down from Heaven's Gate…_

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A/N: I got rid of Shara in this version, because I didn't feel like explaining her presence—she's such a minor character here, I didn't think it was worth it. So, instead, Blade sings his emo song about transforming. He seems to do that a lot, ne?


	6. Chapter Five: The First Act

CHAPTER FIVE: The First Act

Bonnie walked down the East wing of the Command Center. It was three in the morning, and finally—after twelve hours worth of working—she was allowed to go to bed. Fortunately, none of the pieces of the space ring struck near the Command Center. Despite that fact, it was still in dire need of repair…

Commander Jamison had locked himself in his office to determine their next course of action.

Frankly at this point she was tired of worrying. What happened, happened. They were going to win this war—they _had_ to. She shook her head--she wouldn't see her beloved planet desecrated and ravaged by those alien monsters. Stopping briefly to catch her breath and cough, she looked out the window and sighed.

It was pitch black outside—all the dirt thrown up into the air when the pieces fell were going to start a "nuclear winter".

The sun would never shine in her lifetime again.

She clenched her fists. "Our entire planet is probably dead! And here I am worrying about myself!" She exclaimed in anger. "Damn you…" She cursed as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Damn you…"

Bonnie lifted her head and continued to make her way back to her room.

She stopped again at the door to Ringo's quarters. Something was wrong with him—she had to know what it was. She had to know why he kept avoiding her. She had to know why he was so irritable. She had to know why he was so angry with her…she had to know what it was she did that set him off.

Resting her forehead against the door, she sighed once more. What did she say? How would she even begin? Her eyes shut as she inhaled the warm and inviting scent that filled the air. Suddenly she was washed over with a sense of peace. No longer did she feel as if she had any negativity aimed in her direction. The door opened, and she went in.

Ringo was lying on his side in bed, contemplating on whether or not he should leave now. He was taken from his thoughts as he heard his door open. Slowly he sat up and turned his head to look at the intruder. He took in a deep breath and blinked in bewilderment. His nose caught a flowery scent that cleansed his mind of all his previous thought. For a moment in time, he was back to his old self again—back when he was human, back when the only one he saw was _her…_ He felt the familiar sense of endearment he'd had towards her, if only briefly…then his mind went blank. It was as if his body was functioning without his conscious.

"Bonnie…"

Bonnie watched him cautiously as he stood up and slowly went over to her.

"I'm sorry…" He murmured to her gently as he carefully picked her up and set her down onto his bed. "I didn't mean to avoid you…" He said while lowering his head to kiss her. "I didn't mean to snap at you like that…" He kissed her again, and moved over her—pinning her to the sheets with the weight of his body.

This breach of personal space was alarming. But for some reason, she found herself unwilling to fight him. Her skin prickled as his teeth grazed her neck.

"Forgive me…" He continued in a low voice. "Please…forgive me…"

"_Why…?_" She wanted to ask. The words caught in her throat as she opened her mouth to speak. "_What are you doing to me? What happened to you…? What makes you think you have the right to…_" Her mind was a wandering, frustrated mess as her uniform found itself on the other side of the room.

She didn't want this to happen—it didn't feel right after being given the cold shoulder for so long; they weren't even in a relationship. But she couldn't resist. It was as if her body had run away and left her mind to flounder helplessly without control.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Andrea curled up beneath her covers, and let out a big yawn. She was tired and never wanted to wake up. With the world heading in its current direction, having a child would be shameful. What could she do about it, though? Nothing.

Three months ago, the full moon and Venomoid pheromones had claimed her victim to Saber. Tonight would be a full moon—that is, if it were visible through all the dust in the air. She shut her eyes and placed a hand on her stomach. "I'm so sorry you're going to have to be brought into such a terrible world…" Eventually she fell asleep.

-----------------------------------------------

Ringo lay on his back in bed and stared up at the ceiling blankly, conscious slowly creeping back to him.

_Destroy the Tekkaman named Lightsabre—before she can become a nuisance._ Saber's words echoed in his mind hollowly.

Peering out the corner of his eye, he watched her sleep peacefully beside him. He sat up and stared down at her. There she was—he could easily kill her now. And then he could leave.

But…but something deep within his heart forbade him from doing so. A sudden pain split through his head as he was struck down with confusion. Why was he hesitating?

Squeezing his eyes shut he thrust his arm out and seized her by the neck.

Bonnie's eyes shot open, throat violently pressed shut. She gasped for air and trembled; Ringo was strangling her. Her eyes followed his arm in disbelief as it led to her neck. Surely it must have been a nightmare…

…But she wasn't waking up.

"Ri…chard…" She managed in a broken and barely audible voice. "Whyy…yy…" She clenched her teeth as he pressed harder. She managed to pry one of her arms out from beneath his knee and touched his wrist. She stared up into his purplish tinted blue eyes desperately. "Ri..chard…" Her vision began to darken as her conscious slipped away.

_Richard_…

…That name stirred a strange feeling deep within his heart. He looked at her with confusion, and slowly released his hold on her.

Bonnie coughed horridly as she tried to breathe. She looked up again as something cold and jelly-like landed on her cheek. Her eyes grew wide with horror as she looked up into Ringo's face once more. One eye was that strange blue tinted with purple…but the other one…was _red_. She felt a smoldering tingle as the mark of her crystal appeared on her forehead.

She gasped sharply as a faint blue light shone through his bangs matted to his face.

He blinked once, still confused as to what he should do.

"You're a Tekkaman!" Her voice croaked.

A cold shiver ran down her spine as she came to the harsh realization.

"SHUT UP!" He growled in a sudden fit of rage as he grabbed her throat and clenched as hard as he could.

"N-nooo…" Bonnie gasped. Her body bucked beneath his weight as she tried to escape. "Pl…ease…" Tears welled up in her eyes as she gazed into his now blood red eyes. "Ri…ch…ar…d…" She grasped his arm as a silent plea for release. Her vision started to black in and out again—she was going to die.

Ringo glared down at her with cold, unfeeling eyes as he tightened his grip. She was a stubborn creature—couldn't she just die already? It would make his job a whole lot easier.

_A whole lot easier_…

Did that mean that killing her was difficult?

"Yo…u…don…t…wan…to…do…thi…" He heard her struggle to say. "I…I…lo…ve…you…" She squinted her eyes and tried to swallow.

Those words…here she was, going to die…and her last words to him were…he was washed over with another wave of confusion. Why couldn't he kill her? He lifted his hand from her neck, and scoffed at his own weakness.

Bonnie rolled over onto her side and coughed miserably. She felt him get up off the bed.

"I don't know what just happened." He growled. "But next time I won't let you go—I promise…"

She turned to look at him from out the corner of her eye. Coughing some more, she sat up and watched in disbelief as he brought forth his crystal; it was blue—just like hers. And right before her very eyes, he tek-set and left.

Tears fell from her eyes like waterfalls as she stared at the Tekkaman-sized hole in the wall. Ringo, a Tekkaman? An evil, sided with the Venomoids Tekkaman. It just didn't register in her head. She fell out of bed and skittered down the halls to tell Andrea.

--------------------------------------------

"Okay. So tell me again why we're looking for survivors?" A man asked as he and a group of others dug through the heap of rubble that was once the Allied Military Defense.

"Good question, Bob. I doubt anyone could have survived." Another man responded.

"Well, it's pitch black out here—I can hardly even see my hand in front of my face! So, even if there were any, how would we know?" Bob asked.

"Another good one. Don't know."

"Keep looking!" The man in charge barked.

Suddenly a woman with short black hair wearing a business suit dashed onto the scene. "This is Connie Chung, reporting to you live just outside what used to be General Xerxes Gault's base of operations…"

A cameraman followed close behind.

"Excuse me, sir…would you mind answering a few questions?" She asked, gently tugging on the man in charge's sleeve.

The man turned around and snorted gruffly at the news reporter. "Can't you see we're a little busy right now?"

She scratched her head and began to ask questions.

-------------------------------

Balzac sat up in bed and looked around. It had been a month and ten days since he'd lost his battle with Saber and crash-landed back to Earth. Waking up to his surroundings, he heard a woman's voice echoing throughout the house. She sounded like a panic-stricken news reporter. Very slowly he got out of bed and made his way to the source of the sound.

There were his two caretakers, huddled around the television set like zombies. Rachel and her little brother Rick… If not for them, he wouldn't be alive today. They had found him out in the middle of nowhere when he was on the brink of death. "What's going on?" He asked.

Rick turned around with wide eyes. "You won't believe what happened!" He exclaimed. "The Space Ring just blew up, and now the whole world's going to plunge into darkness!"

Balzac nearly fainted. "What?"

Rachel motioned with her hand to shush. "The CNN woman is at one of the crash sites now." She said.

"…The…" Balzac's eyes widened with concern as he read the words on the bottom of the screen. His home…the base where he was practically raised, the place where he'd left his two best friends in the entire universe…was gone? Only a pile of mangled metal, dirt, and shattered glass remained.

_Where he'd left his two best friends…_

"Vitani! Marlow!" He exclaimed.

"Huh? Do you know someone that worked there?" Rick asked. He grew worried when Balzac began to tremble slightly.

"_My…my…wife…my best friend_…" He murmured, shaking his head. He didn't want to believe it—no way. But the picture on the TV screen was like a slap in the face by reality. He plunked down into a chair, ignoring the knifing pain that shot up his ribs. "You guys…you couldn't have left me…you couldn't…" Burying his head in his hands, he did his damnedest not to burst into tears.

"Hey look!" Rick shouted, leaping out of his chair. "There's a hand! I see a hand!"

Rachel shook her head. "No one could have survived that, Rick."

He pointed at the screen. "Look! Right there! It's alive! There's someone alive!"

"Oh my word!" Connie Chung exclaimed from the TV.

Balzac looked up as he heard the muffled voices of the rescue workers shouting.

"HEY! I GOT SOMEONE!"

He watched as the men started to push away more debris. His eyes widened further, as they pulled out two people. A man, and a woman. They both looked as if they'd been frightened beyond death. As the TV zoomed in closer while the reporter dashed over to ask questions, his heart stopped. He slid from the chair and collapsed to his knees in front of the television.

"Excuse me, do you mind telling us what happened?" The reporter asked.

The woman frowned, and brushed off her uniform. "What the fuck does it look like? WE'VE JUST BEEN BLOWN TO HELL!!!!" She screeched back.

Balzac knew that screech anywhere… Just as she looked like she was going to beat the shit out of the reporter woman, a hand touched her shoulder.

"Don't waste the energy." The man beside her said.

Balzac leapt to his feet, fists in the air. "They're alive! They're okay!"

Rick turned around to look at the ecstatic man standing behind him. "Who's okay? Do you know these people?"

He nodded in relief. "That woman's my wife. The guy standing next to her's my best friend."

Rachel tried her best to smile. "That's wonderful. I'm glad they made it out okay."

The reporter turned to Marlow. "Would you mind telling us how you managed to survive?"

Marlow looked at her strangely and pushed the camera away. "No comment. Come on, 'Tani." And with that, the two walked away.

Balzac knew where they were headed. Vitani hated the military. She'd _always_ hated the military. She had showed no respect to Gault whatsoever, and held Jamison to the highest esteem. So, if his assumptions were correct, she'd be on her way to seek shelter with the Space Knights—and that's where he'd go, too.

---------------------------------------

"Andrea?"

Andrea was lying in bed, fast asleep.

"Andy…"

Andrea rolled over and murmured something in her sleep.

Bonnie went into her room and shut the door behind her. "Andrea?" She asked again.

Andrea still said nothing.

Bonnie jumped up onto Andrea's bed, and grabbed her by the collar of her pajamas. "Andy Andy Andy!! WAKE UP!"

Andrea's purple eyes opened slightly as she was lifted into a sitting position. "Whatisit, Bun-ny…I'm…really sleepy…" She said in a tired slur.

Bonnie tried shaking her awake. "Andy, please…this is really important."

Andrea's head fell backwards into her shoulders as she fell asleep once more.

"Andrea…" Bonnie began in a scared voice choked with tears. "…Ringo's a Tekkaman…"

Andrea's eyes flew open. "What did you say?"

Bonnie nodded, and hung her head as she stared at her hands folded in her lap. She ignored the sharp pain in her neck. "I…was walking to my room, and…I end up finding myself in his room instead, and then… And then I fell asleep, thinking that whatever it was that had been bothering him was gone… And then, I wake up to find…to find…"

Bonnie paused as she tried to regain control over her wounded emotions. "To find him…sitting on my chest and…choking me…Ringo tried to kill me, Andy! But for whatever strange reason, he let me go. Not once, but twice. The first time he let me go, he looked as if he were sorting out his thoughts, and then he got frustrated and grabbed my throat again. But the second time he let me go, he got up and left…I saw his eyes, Andy…and the marking of my crystal appeared on my forehead…"

Andrea took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Well, that explains how Saber knew that the Blue Earth was just a diversion. What do you want to bet _that_ was Ringo's problem all along. The day he left to his sister's, he never made it. He was caught by the Venomoids along the way, and sent back to us one of them…he was leaking information right under our noses…"

Bonnie sniffled. "We've got to get him back…somehow I have this feeling that he's struggling inside. I can't explain it very well, but…"

Andrea nodded. "I think you're starting to come to grips with your telepathic bond…let me ask you this: when you passed by his room, did your nose pick up anything?"

Bonnie nodded. "It smelled kinda cinnamon-y. And then it was like I had no control over my body at all…he had his way with me; I didn't want it, but I couldn't complain."

Andrea sighed. "Venomoid pheromones."

"Huh?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, how do you think the Venomoids keep their species going?"

Bonnie scratched her head. "You mean, like how some animals go into heat?" She wondered in slight disgust.

Andrea shrugged. "Something to that degree, anyway. Around every 29 days, which coincidentally falls around every full moon here on Earth, both sexes release a faint scent to attract their mate—"

Bonnie shook her head. "Wait, wait, wait…I feel as if I'm a giraffe on a wild documentary here. You mean to tell me that…me and Ringo didn't hit the sack together because we felt like it? It was because…"

Andrea tilted her head to the side. "Well, DID you feel like getting laid at that particular moment? No, I meant, did you _want_ to get laid at that particular moment in time?"

Bonnie knit her brows together in thought. "Well, in my mind I didn't want to…it was like my body…had…a mind…of its own—oh my god! I was in heat! I've turned into a real bitch!"

Andrea shrugged. "Well, if you ask me, ALL Venomoids are dogs anyway. And since we've been doomed to tap into their power, well, you can expect weird little quirks like this. I should know…"

Bonnie nodded sympathetically. "Saber's a little bitch too." She clasped her hand over her mouth. "Oh no…"

Andrea placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort. "Yes, unfortunately. Now we're both stuck bringing children into this wasted world. What a terrible future they have to look forward to…nothing but a long, and gruesome war."

Bonnie shook her head sadly. "We're gonna win. I know it. We have to!" She then sighed, her head sinking back into her shoulders. "I just…I don't want to…oh Ringo…I'm so sorry…no one deserves to go through the mental hell you're going through right now…"

She looked up, lost. "What did I just say?"

Andrea strengthened her hold on Bonnie's shoulder. "Now that this has happened… Let's put it this way: When you start to hear voices in your head, you're not going schizo."

Bonnie nodded sadly. "I think I need to go to bed."

Andrea turned on her lamp and winced at Bonnie's neck; it was bruised terribly. "He got you bad…"

Bonnie slowly shook her head. "No, the parasite got me bad. I failed once…I can't fail again. I can be skewered over and over, I can be thrown down and burnt by the fires of hell—but I'm not going to give up." She got up off the bed, and walked towards the door. "Good night. I'll go to the infirmary in the morning…oh…please don't tell CJ that I'm probably…"

Andrea waved an assuring hand. "I won't. Good night." As soon as Bonnie was in her room, she left to go tell the Commander of the traitor amongst their ranks, incase he should ever return.

-------------------------------------------------

"YOU LET HER GO!?" Cain snarled angrily as he punched his lackey in the gut. "I TOLD YOU TO KILL HER!"

Ringo fell to his knees in pain, and replied, "What's the fun in it if there's no torture involved?"

Cain snatched him by his blonde hair and threw his head against the nearby wall of the Argos. "The next time you see her, kill her. I don't care if it bores you to death—I want her DEAD. "

Ringo scoffed. "If you want her dead so badly, then how come you haven't done anything?"

Cain kicked him in the side as hard as he could. "Still have a mouth on you, I see." Pulling out his crystal, he grinned evilly. "I guess I'll just have to fix that."

If watching Bonnie suffer wasn't his favorite thing to do, now that his brother was gone, then beating down his 'replacement' was a close second. It was a way of getting personal revenge for being burnt. His anger inflamed further when he noticed Richards smelled of her, if only faintly.

"…" Cain narrowed his eyes. After he tek-set, he was going to beat the living hell out of him—a fitting punishment for a disobedient dog.

-------------------------------

A/N: Connie Chung will never die.


	7. Chapter Six: Dim the LightsTransition

CHAPTER SIX: Dim the Lights/Transition

Bonnie sat in a chair around the briefing table sadly. She would've hung her head, but it'd hurt too much. Now that the death of Tekkaman Blade was common knowledge among the higher ranks of the Space Knights and Military, she wasn't the only one sad.

Practically the entire world was melancholy.

"What happened, Bonnie?" Maggie asked as she took a seat beside her. "Your neck looks really bad…"

Bonnie just moved her head from side to side slightly.

"Where's Ringo?" Tina asked as she came into the room and sat down.

"I'm afraid Ringo is no longer with us." Commander Jamison said as he made his way to the front of the room.

Aki's eyes nearly fell out of her head. "What happened to him? Is he gone, too?" Aki could cry about Blade all she wanted when she was by herself—but so long as she was on duty, she was to keep a straight face. Emotions were not allowed to interfere with anything. Space Knights came first, above all else.

Bonnie swallowed, and ignored the pain in her throat. "They've…turned him into…one of them…"

Various gasps spread throughout the room.

"Don't let your personal feelings get in the way of dealing with him—mercy will only bring about the destruction of our planet." Commander interjected.

"What are we going to do, Commander?" Bonnie asked, with worry in her voice.

Commander Jamison nodded slightly. "Well, we are to relocate, for one thing. The enemy surely knows the Command Center inside and out now. I've spoken with General Pablochiva…"

Maggie clenched her fist. "The military, sir? You can't be serious!"

Bonnie swung her head around. "Don't be an idiot, Maggie." She snapped. "This is no time for petty differences. United the human race stands; divided we fall."

"There is a research facility two thousand kilometers off the coast of Brazil—built into one of the Atlantic Oceans many underwater mountains…" CJ continued. "And that is where we will remain unnoticed until we can come up with counter plans…"

"The human race is hopeless without Blade." Aki sighed.

Bonnie stood up out of her chair. "No it's not! How dare you say that?! It's attitudes like yours that will get us all killed! Look around you! We still have our Commanding officer, our head mechanics and engineers—"

"All the mechanics in the world aren't gonna stop them. If starvation doesn't pick us off first, you know who will come to finish the job." Aki replied bitterly.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "Saber and his pack of lap dogs aren't gonna get within ten miles of us…or I'll tear them apart myself."

Aki snickered. "And how are you going to do that? Run them all over with the Blue Earth? You know you couldn't even if you tried—you aren't _half_ the pilot Ringo was."

Bonnie flopped back down in her seat. The recent rash of trauma had toyed and pushed everyone's psyches to their limits—most everyone was acting out of character. "No, I'll tek-set and beat all their asses into submission."

The room fell silent and all eyes fell upon her, Commander Jamison included. "Bonnie," He began. "Is there something you forgot to tell us?"

Bonnie nodded carefully, trying to avoid stretching the muscles in her throat. "Yes. I'm sorry, Sir. When I was run-through, I was devoured by an aquatic teknopod. I completed the process, and when I emerged, that's when Andrea found me, Sir."

"But why are you still with us?" Tina asked with a hint of sudden suspicion in her voice.

Bonnie shut her eyes. "I fought off the parasite. I managed to beat it…my body rejected it; it had no other choice but to detach and die on its own."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Aki exclaimed.

"Because I was afraid of all the tests everyone would perform on me." Bonnie replied flatly. She looked up at CJ for a moment. "I'm sorry, Sir…it was selfish on my part."

-------------------------------------------

"I'm sorry. This is a restricted area—I need to see some ID before I can let you speak to the Commander."

Vitani snarled and tried to push passed the guard standing watch by the Space Knight's Command Center's entrance. "I already TOLD you who we are! Look, if you're so afraid, then call up the man and have him come here."

He shook his head. "Commander Jamison is a very busy person…I'm afraid I just can't do that. If I were to let everyone who came to me singing your song, then he would never have any work done."

Vitani threw her hands up into the air. "Look, bitch! We came too far to just be turned away at the door!"

The guard readied his rifle. "Leave now, or I'll be forced to shoot."

Previously silent, Marlow stood beside her and piped up, "Oh. Here it is…"

The security guard turned his head to look at him. As his attention was diverted to his left, Vitani took that opportunity to catch him off guard on his right. She tapped him on his shoulder. He turned his head to look at her and was greeted with a fist between his eyes.

"There's your ID, ya bastard." She spat, kicking the fallen man in the ribs as she passed.

-----------------------------------------------------

"…Not that it matters, anyway—all our scientists perished in the attack. So I guess you won't have to worry about any of those tests." Aki growled.

Bonnie remained looking at the Commander.

"Well! Aren't you all in luck! I just happen to have one on me." A voice said from the door.

Everyone turned to look.

"Vitani." Commander Jamison replied.

Vitani bowed dramatically. "The one and only. You know, the base was totaled…and everything else along with it—"

"—So, we're both unemployed at the moment—" Marlow continued.

"—And hungry," she finished.

Aki glared at them viciously. "How do we know we can trust you?"

Vitani grinned and started to laugh. "Because you don't have a choice."

"Besides." Marlow spoke up beside her. "If we went back, we'd both be killed for insubordination."

Vitani nodded. "You guys can't say no—you need us."

Bonnie scratched her head. "Um. Yeah, I've heard _he's_ really smart, but—"

"—What can _you_ do?" Aki interrupted.

Vitani looked over at the Commander. "Anything you can find for me. At this point, I'm not picky."

Commander Jamison thought about it for a moment. "All right. Welcome aboard, you two. Dr. Marlow, you are hereby named head of our Science Department."

"Thank you, Sir." Marlow replied.

"And as for you, Vitani…" CJ continued.

Vitani looked up at him hopefully. "_Not the computers, not the computers, not the computers…_" She prayed in her mind.

"Your first task is to get our computers back online."

Vitani's head sunk in defeat.

Figures.

Sure, she loved computers—but using them was one thing; repairing them was something completely different. She HATED computer maintenance. It made her want to hurl herself off a cliff. "Yes…Sir…" She answered.

"Bonnie," Bonnie looked back over towards CJ. "Yes, Sir?"

"You are not to engage in combat as a Tekkaman until you are fully healed. You are also declared Head Pilot of the Blue Earth. Aki, you are her copilot. Tina, your job is the same as always. Mac, Maggie—the same goes for you. Andrea,"

Andrea looked up from the table. "You are forbidden to enter the battle field until your _condition_ is ameliorated. Until then, you are Assistant Head Scientist. I'm sure the two of you can come up with numerous ways to save mankind…"

Commander Jamison paused. "Well, any questions?"

Silence was his answer.

"All right, dismissed."

Everyone got up and started to leave. "Bonnie, Aki," He called.

"Yes, Sir?" They both responded.

"I have a job for you. The military has set up sanctuaries to harbor any survivors of yesterday's incident. They also have numerous carriers to transport the survivors there. What you are to do, is scout around with the Blue Earth…if you locate anyone, relay their locations to the military—they'll take it from there. If you run into trouble, return to base immediately."

They nodded, and left the room.

--------------------------------------

A cold shiver traveled down Bonnie's spine as she sat down in the pilot's seat. It felt funny—normally this was a sacred place—she was forbidden to sit here. She cringed as Aki sat in Bonnie's original place.

"_It's okay, just pretend that Ringo's sick and you're replacing him for the time being.._" Bonnie said to herself under her breath. She fired up the engines and took to the sky. It was as dark as night outside.

"Pull up the infrared sensors, Aki." Bonnie commanded.

"I've got it." Aki replied. "It's getting colder…"

Bonnie nodded in silent agreement.

Closing her eyes, she could hear it…that voice from her reoccurring nightmare. It was faint, but… Bonnie squeezed her eyes shut tighter as she tried to focus on it in the back of her mind. The sound was like a whisper on the wind—almost impossible to understand.

Fleeting.

She concentrated harder. "_Don't leave me…hang on…_" Sifting through all the thoughts in her mind was difficult. Bonnie tried as hard as she could to tap into whatever force that was invading her head. _Focus_.

In the darkest corner of her mind, she found a small 'blinking orb of light' so to speak. "_What's this?_" Bonnie wondered. Walking towards it, she carefully reached out to touch it. It was slightly warm. Placing her hand in it completely, she was bathed in a gentle blue light. The faint, slurred voice slowly started to come into focus.

"_Bonnie…?_" The voice asked.

Bonnie knew that voice anywhere. "_Ringo…?_" She returned. "_What—_"

"—_I don't have much time. Listen, I need you to—_" His voice cut off and Bonnie was washed over with a sudden surge of sharp pain.

"Hey? What's that?" Aki asked suddenly.

Bonnie was taken out of her thoughts abruptly as her eyes shot open. "Huh?"

"Here, look—I'm getting an enormous heat reading…"

Bonnie eyed the shape made of reds and yellows with interest. "That shape…it looks familiar…"

"But it's out in the middle of nowhere; what is it?"

"It's too small to be a Tekkaman," Bonnie's voice drifted as she thought. With a snap of her fingers she proclaimed, "You know, that looks an awful lot like the Sol Tekkaman Suit Ringo 'borrowed' from the military."

Aki peered at her from over her shoulder. "Why would it be all the way out here?"

Bonnie scratched her head. "I'm not sure…hmm. Maybe it's not it." Narrowing her eyes, she declared, "I'm not sure, but I'm gonna go down and take a look…if it IS a Tekkaman Suit, we could use it…"

Aki shook her head. "We can't. Commander Jamison would have a fit. Besides, wasn't there only two? And Suit #1 burned up in the atmosphere…maybe it's a trap."

Bonnie landed the ship anyway and hopped out to take a look, saying, "It'll only take a second."

She heard coughing in the distance. Pulling out her flashlight, she covered her nose with her sleeve, and walked towards the sound she heard.

"Dammit! At least it still turns on…" Someone coughed in a curse.

"Hey!" She called. "What are you doing outside? It's dangerous!" She kept walking in a straight line, in hopes that she didn't lose the Blue Earth in all the dust.

The dust filled air started to thin out; she could see the silhouette of a man standing beside the shape of a Tekkaman suit.

"Well, well. If it isn't little Bunny-girl."

Bonnie walked closer, and shined her light onto the figure. "Huh? Who the HELL-er you?" She asked, suspiciously eying the pale blonde man with piercing jade green eyes.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "That's right—you weren't there, were you? What's the matter? Don't you recognize me without a camera?" He asked, while raising his hands to his eyes and mimicking the gesture one makes while shooting pictures.

Bonnie recognized the platinum band around his left ring finger—it was exactly like the one Vitani wore around hers. "No. Way. YOU'RE Balzac Saint Jacques? YOU? You bastard! You're supposed to be DEAD!"

He frowned. "Sorry to disappoint you."

Bonnie moved the light out of his eyes. "What are you doing all the way out here?" She asked.

"What are YOU doing out here?" He returned.

"I'M relaying survivor coordination to the Military so they can pick them up and take them to shelters. The heat generated from that thing caught my attention and I came down to see what it was."

He nodded slightly in acknowledgement. "There's a woman and little boy just a few acres down that way."

"You still haven't answered MY question, Saint Jacques." Bonnie growled. "Ya arrogant bitch. How the hell she was EVER able to put up with you, is totally beyond me."

His eyes glinted with hope. "How is she?"

Bonnie threw her hands in the air. "Oh, she's just FINE. She got thrown into the slammer for attacking General Fatso for…" She paused. "Why the hell am I…" She paused again. Reaching out she snatched him by the wrist and yanked him back towards the Blue Earth.

"What are you doing? Let me go." He snarled in return.

"Just shut the hell up and wait and see." She growled back.

"Hey, Aki! Lookie what I found!"

Aki nearly fainted when she took note of the tall man Bonnie dragged onto the bridge. "Oh my god! It's Balzac! You're alive!"

Bonnie went straight to her control panel and contacted the military. Once they got the location of the two people, she hailed the Command Center. "Tina, patch me in to the Science Departmen…oh wait, we don't have one anymore…"

Tina scratched her head. "It's okay, Bonnie. I know what you mean. Here, hang on a sec."

---------------------------

"The things I do for you…" Vitani sighed as she hung herself over the keyboard of the main server for the Space Knight's computer network.

"For _me_?" Marlow scoffed as he waited in the background. He couldn't begin to work until the computers were back up—he needed to go over the research archives first.

Vitani nodded. "Yeah. For you. I figured that if I couldn't convince CJ into giving us jobs, I'd be stuck listening to you whine about not having anything to do."

He rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh. "Uh-huh. You're the one who said you were hungry."

"Don't roll your eyes at me." She replied, never once turning her head to look at him.

"How did you know?"

"Don't give me that crap." She answered as she inserted a disk into the computer.

"Hey, Vitani…" Andrea called from the other side of the room. "You've got a call from the Blue Earth."

"?" She replied as she got out of her seat.

-----------------------------

Bonnie turned around and yanked on Balzac's wrist. "Here. I want you to meet the two new members of the Space Knights." She told him and pulled him towards the screen.

"Yeah? What do you want, Bunny—I'm sorta busy right now." Vitani asked as she leaned over the video communications screen on the other end.

Bonnie squinted happy-cat like and began, "Well—" Before she could finish her statement, however, Balzac had pushed her out the way.

"Vitani…!" He called. After three long months, he was enthralled by the sound of her voice.

Bonnie got up off the floor and dusted off her uniform with a few coughs.

---------------------

Marlow and Andrea both turned their heads as Vitani's knees gave out from under her; she collapsed to the floor with a loud THUNK. "Oh my god…!" She exclaimed as she scrambled to get back up. "You're…" She lost her balance midway through the motion and fell down again, catching the desk by the tips of her fingers.

"Vitani? Are you…okay?" Marlow asked as he went over to help her up. His eyes widened as he noticed the face on the screen.

Balzac smiled. "Hey, guys…how's it goin?"

Vitani's lower lip trembled as she tried her best to smile and not burst into tears. "I-I'm just…lost for words…I'm so…" Her voice cracked and she broke into a sob. "Oh god, I'm so happy that you're alright…"

Marlow nodded slightly and placed a hand on her shoulder while bonking the top of her head with the other. "You see? I told you he'd be back."

Vitani tried to give the screen an enormous hug.

"Lookin' pretty good, my man. See you're still alive!"

Marlow pushed Vitani's head out of the way to smirk back at his best friend. "I couldn't die and let you have all the fun, now, could I?"

"I was scared…" Vitani said in a small voice.

………

Back on the Blue Earth, Bonnie pointed to her wrist as a gesture to wrap things up. "The sooner ya shut up, the sooner you can see them in person!" She hissed.

Balzac narrowed his eyes at her slightly, and then turned back to the screen. "I've got to go—"

Bonnie leapt up and pushed his head down and out of the way. "—But don't worry! Since the jerk means so much to you, 'Tani, I guess I'll bring him with us! So as soon as we finish up this mission, you can have your big jerk back, I promise."

Vitani nodded shakily.

Bonnie waved, and then closed the channel, saying, "See you in a few."

………

As soon as the screen became blank, Vitani went back over to finish restoring the computers, wiping the tears from her eyes. That's when she noticed the disk she'd inserted was rejected. Plopping back down into her chair, her cries returned and then broke out into a wail. As if trying to go back to work when her mind was everywhere else at once wasn't bad enough…

"Now I have to re-program this thing by ha-ha-haannnd!!!"

Andrea's head sunk into her shoulders and sighed.

Marlow looked up at the ceiling and scratched his head.

Something told the both of them: it was going to be a _very_ long day.

----------------------------------

A/N: I tried to bring out more of the camaraderie b/w Balzac, Marlow and Vitani. Bonnie's dislike for Balzac stems from his reporter days…


	8. Chapter Seven: Change the Setting

CHAPTER SEVEN: Change the Setting

Bonnie rolled over in bed. Lifting her head, she eyed the slight bulge in her stomach in an irritated fashion. "_Pretty soon I'm not gonna be able to hide you anymore…_" She thought to herself.

It had been four months since the Space Knights relocated their base into the depths of the sea. It had also been four months since there had been any Venomoid activity whatsoever. She was a little suspicious by it, but she wasn't complaining—it gave them all some time to recoup from the annihilation of the Space Ring.

Her stomach growled furiously then. Now that the sun had been blocked out, Commander Jamison was even tighter with the rations than usual. Everyone had been limited to one miniscule meal a day…and it was hard—especially when you're eating for two. No sun meant no heat or light; consequently, all plant-life eventually froze to death on the surface.

Mankind was starving right now…and not once could Bonnie remember the light in the Science Department going out ever since. Andy and Marlow were researching their asses off—trying to find ways to grow genetically altered and synthetic plant life down here in the middle of nowhere.

So far it hadn't been working very well.

Closing her eyes, she laid her head back against her pillow and sighed. She focused her thoughts, and tried to get 'connected'. The more she practiced with her psychic abilities, the better she got with them. "_Ringo_…" She wondered.

It was easiest to get a hold of him if he was asleep. Why she kept trying to get into his mind was beyond her at some times. But ever since that day she was able to make a direct contact…she felt as if she had to. His free spirit was in there somewhere—she just had to find it. It was as if her nightmare was his silent plea for help. Sifting through her thoughts, she found nothing. "_Come on! You've got to be here somewhere…_" She was determined to get this telepathic bond-thing down pat. Andrea said that all Tekkamen have it—but there was a stronger connection between two who were mates.

_Mates_. Bonnie scoffed at the word silently. How odd it felt, speaking of one's self in such crude terms. It was as if she'd been reduced down to a mere animal on a nature documentary. On the other hand, she felt strangely closer to him…in such a way that words couldn't even begin to explain.

Rolling over again, she pulled her blanket up over her head. "_Oh well. Not like there's anything you can do about it now._" She thought to herself. She wrapped her arms around the little stuffed dingo resting beside her, and held it tight. "_I'll get you back…I know I will._" Eventually she nodded off to sleep.

---------------------------------------------

Ringo slowly walked into his room to retire for the night. Shedding his clothing into a pile on the floor, he flopped down backwards into bed and shut his eyes. Four months…and he had not been allowed to do anything. Why Saber was making them all wait to attack was beyond him. But it was okay, he supposed. It gave him time to sharpen his battle skills. Every day that passed, he grew closer and closer to achieving mastery of his new powers. Although accomplishments often left him with a sense of fulfillment, Ringo still felt empty.

Hollow—like he was just a shell, void of anything within. With each day, the thought of destroying the Tekkaman called Lightsabre became harder to grasp. "_Why?_" He wondered. "_Why kill her at all?_ _Wouldn't it be better to have her join us?_"

He let out a tired yawn and scratched his stomach. In the back of his mind, he really didn't want to destroy her. At first he didn't have any problem with it…but the more he thought about it, the less he wanted to do it.

When he was alone like this, it often made him think too much. Questioning authority was just in his nature—he couldn't help it. When he was by himself, often times he'd suddenly want to return to Earth, and just be his old self again. But his head would start to hurt really bad after the thought…so bad, in fact, that he'd just pass out from the pain. And when he'd wake up, the cold and dark, angry feeling would claim his being once more.

_Feelings_. Channeling his thoughts, he could almost feel the faint presence of her mind off in the distance. The feeling of her grew stronger as time went by. Surprisingly her thoughts were always warm and gentle. Never once had he felt any hostility from her. Strange…and after all he's done…

Suddenly he wished Lightsabre's tranquil warmth would wash away the frigid darkness that engulfed his very soul. Ringo shut his eyes and went to sleep—his head was hurting again.

--------------------------------------

Vitani curled up underneath the covers and snuggled herself against her husband of five year's chest. It had been a long day—she was tired. "Balzac…?" She whispered in question. "Are you awake?"

He ran his hand along the top of her head, and playfully messed with her ponytail. "Yeah, I suppose so. Where were you, 'Tani? It's almost two in the morning."

She cringed. "Some of the computers in the central network crashed this evening…"

"Oh…sucks to be you, doesn't it." He answered in a taunt.

Vitani lifted her head to look at him. The faint glow of the fluorescent lights in the hallway slipped beneath the crack in the door and glistened in his eyes. "Sort of. But at least now that I'm a Space Knight, I don't have to worry about being sent away on assignment for months at a time."

He smiled slightly. "Good to know I'm not the only one who felt that way."

She gave him a grin in return. "Great—and here I always thought you sighed relief every time I was sent off."

He scoffed gently and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Not even close…"

She traced her fingers down the smooth skin of his jaw before lowering her head to kiss him.

"Good night…" She said, resting her head on his chest once again.

His eyes shut slowly. "Damn." He muttered under his breath. "And here I thought this would've gone somewhere."

She let out another yawn. "Hnh. Sorry…"

He gave her side a gentle pinch. "You should be."

She lifted her tired head once more and gave him another kiss. "Can I give ya a rain check…?" She inquired hopefully.

He kissed her in reply. "Just so long as it doesn't have an expiration date."

She giggled softly and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose. She put her head down for the last time.

"Night, 'Tani." He said, closing his eyes.

-----------------------------

Bonnie opened her eyes and looked at her clock; she'd only been asleep for an hour at most. Her stomach growled at her viciously…and suddenly she craved chicken dipped in chocolate. Although she had her doubts of going to the Science Department and finding a synthetic chicken sitting on a table waiting for her, she went ahead and got out of bed anyway.

She didn't even bother to change as she meandered down the halls in her oversized tee shirt. As she'd expected, the lights in the lab were still on—meaning there was still someone in there. She poked her head in the door. Andrea was typing up a report while munching on a pop tart. (Because she was pregnant, she was allowed a few extra snacks here and there.)

Bonnie's eyes ventured about the expansive lab, desperately searching for her fabled 'synthetic chicken'. Andrea turned her head and looked at Bonnie. "Hi, Bunny! What are you doing out of bed so early?"

A look of sheer disappointment washed across Bonnie's face. "No chicken…?"

"…Chicken…?" A stack of papers sitting atop a desk repeated.

Bonnie nodded. "Where's the synthetic chicken?"

Andrea knit her brows together in confusion. "Synthetic chicken? Bunny, are you even awake?"

Bonnie nodded again. "Oh sure, I'm awake…I was just hoping that I'd find a lab grown chicken in here somewhere…"

"Sorry, Bonnie. No chickens here…" The stack of papers apologized.

Bonnie placed her hands on her hips. "Well, MAYBE, if you guys _slept_ more, I would get my chicken faster! Because then your brains won't have to work at a slower pace to avoid frying." She declared.

Andrea sighed, and returned to her typing.

"You two work too hard." Bonnie continued. "I mean, when was the last time you guys had six hours of sleep? The research and experiments aren't going to come any faster by working yourselves to death. Then where would we be? I mean, look! Even all your lackeys don't stay up until three in the morning!"

"Well…your chicken isn't going to come any faster with you coming in and telling us what to do…" The papers replied.

Bonnie wrinkled her nose and pushed the stack of papers down with her hand as she bent over the desk. "Excuse me!" She growled, poking her face in the scientist's, who sat behind said papers.

"Here I am actually giving a damn and you have the audacity to tell me off!?" She reached over and grabbed him by the collar of his lab coat. "I want my chicken, dammit! I want my chicken, and I want it now!" She exclaimed, shaking him back and forth violently. "You don't understand! I NEED the chicken! If I don't have any chicken, I think I'll fall over and DIE!"

Marlow pried her hands away from his lab coat. "What ever happened to you giving a damn?"

Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "? Who ever said I gave a damn about you? I was talking about Andy—I just spoke using plural so you wouldn't feel left out!"

He didn't even bother to reply and returned to his work instead.

"It's okay, Bunny. I'm not being worked to death! Just think. Once we get everything sorted out, we'll have a huuuuge feast, with lots of chicken and chocolate and everything. I promise. And you'll get first pick."

Bonnie nodded sadly. "Oookay…fine…" With that she turned on her heels and slowly dragged her feet out of the lab.

Her mind wandered as she went back to her room. Bringing forth her sapphire crystal, she stared down at it as she kept walking. "_Surely by now I can fight, if ever I was needed…_" She thought to herself. "_What's going on up at the surface? It's been months since anyone has seen it…_" She leaned her head back into her shoulders, and passed by her room. She decided to go to the hangars instead.

Maggie crawled out from beneath the Blue Earth at the sound of the door opening. "Oh, hi Bunny…what are you doing here?"

Bonnie jumped with surprise at the sound of another in the room. "Maggie! You scared me. I can't sleep, so I thought I'd come here."

Maggie nodded slightly. "Yeah, me and Mac decided to alternate overtime days. I'm stuck here tweaking the Blue Earth—I don't know why, considering it can't go anywhere until we can get a launch ramp built…and god only knows how long THAT will take considering all the other stuff we have to get done."

Bonnie shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe Commander is just giving us things to do to ease our minds."

Maggie nodded. "Maybe you're right." Her auburn eyes sparkled with interest as she caught glimpse of the sapphire gem in Bonnie's hand. "Is that…your crystal?"

Bonnie nodded, and held it out to her. "Yeah."

Maggie carefully took it and held it up for closer inspection. Bonnie's crystal was the deepest blue she'd ever seen—beautiful, that was for certain. Her eyes grew sad for a moment as she noticed it was the same color as the eyes of their lost comrade. Kicking the thought out of her head, she gave it back.

"It's a pretty crystal…have you ever transformed before?"

Bonnie shook her head, and perched herself on Pegas' foot.

"HELLO-BONNIE." A voice boomed over her head.

She jumped again, and looked up to find Pegas looking down at her. "P-Pegas?" She asked.

"AFFIRMATIVE." It answered. Bonnie swung her head around to look at Maggie. "What-how-why…?"

Maggie shrugged. "I have no idea why we decided to patch it up…oh well. Mac went out scouting around for things one day, and just so happened to stumble upon Pegas' wreckage."

Bonnie gave Pegas' cold metal foot a friendly pat, and sighed. "To answer your previous question: no, I've never transformed before…to tell the truth, I'm kinda afraid to."

Maggie flopped back down onto the floor, and disappeared beneath the Blue Earth once again. "Don't be silly—you and Andrea are going to be real important in the battles to come…"

Bonnie swallowed the lump in her throat. "Yeah…but who wants to fight…why did the Venomoids ever have to…oh, it doesn't matter."

The occasional clinking of Maggie's tools echoed throughout the otherwise silent hangar. Bonnie shut her eyes, and leaned back against the cold machinery as she lulled off into deep thought. She could feel a faint flicker in her subconscious mind…and this time she wasn't about to let it get away. An immense frigid feeling tainted with darkness consumed her body as she zeroed in on it—it was him again.

"_I…can't take much more…of this…_" His voice was strained with pain.

"_Hang on, Ringo…please…_" She squeezed her eyes shut tighter as she desperately tried to keep the connection going.

"_You've gotta help me…I…can't do this…on my own, I…I'm losing it, Bonnie…_" He continued.

A sharp pain seared across her head then. "_Jezus…it hurts…_"

Bonnie was determined not to let the sudden headache keep her at bay. "_Be strong, Ringo…we're going to get you back…just keep fighting it! I know it's hard…I know it hurts…please just…_"

He cut her off. "_Hurry…! I can't—_"

"BOLD-SOLDIER-BOY, YE-LEAVE-YOUR-HOME-AND-HEART-TODAY. THE-LASS-YOU-LOVE, LEAVE-WEEPIN' AT-THE-DOOR. THERE-IS-NO-JOY-WHEN-SWEETHEARTS-ROAM-SO-FAR-AWAY. BUT-THE-BOLD-YOUNG-SOLDIER-BOY-MUST-GO-TO-WAR…" A loud mechanical voice sang.

Pegas had jilted Bonnie out of her thoughts so hard; she ended up toppling over onto the cold floor. "Oh no!" She exclaimed. Quickly she tried to reconnect, but it was too late—she'd lost him for the time being.

Bonnie stood up and kicked Pegas' shin. "PEAGAS!"

Pegas stopped its singing, and turned its head to look at her.

"SHUT UP!"

"THAT-COMMAND-IS-NOT-IN-MY-MEMORY-BANK…" It replied. "DEFINE-'SHUT-UP'."

Bonnie ground her teeth and stormed back to her room, leaving Maggie with a giant question mark floating above her head.

----------

Ringo opened his eyes. It was so dark, so cold…he felt so lost, desolate and alone. "_Don't leave me…_" He murmured softly to the silence. He found small tears trickling down the corner of his eye as he was curled into a tight ball on his side. "_Oh god…don't leave me…_" He closed his eyes once more and tried to fight the shivers that consumed his soul.

"_I don't want to be left here…_"

His conscious faded in and out before the sharp pain in his head came back to claim him prisoner once more.

------------------------------

A/N: I am presently working on the next chapter and should have it up in a day or so. Bonus illustration: (put this all together because it's not going to let me paste a url. www dot deviantart dot com/deviation/45462714)

Balzac, Marlow and Vitani scribble. :P


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